I cleaned out my garage, now what?

I cleaned out my garage, 

now what?

Like me, many of you have started home projects, like cleaning out the garage, closets and pantries. Or maybe it was something like putting a fresh coat of paint in that room that needed it. I even went into our game closet and found some puzzles that had never been worked. I pulled them out; currently they are still in the box.😄  Cleaning and organizing gives us a sense of control over something and also a sense of accomplishment.

But

        Now

                What?

What do we do now? We find ourselves in what many are calling a “new normal.” It was fine for a few days, after all, if it hadn’t had happened, your garage would still need cleaning out! However, in reality, it’s a normal that we hope doesn’t last long but we just don’t know, or can’t define long. We first heard 15 days; we now know it will be more. We are isolated, maybe you are by yourself, maybe you are with just your immediate family and maybe with a limited supply of toilet paper! Eventually, even the introverts will go crazy! The extroverts went into a fetal position as soon as we heard the mandate to isolate, actually that happened when we were told not to hug. Suddenly our very freedoms that were a fabric of our lives are gone. This happens in other countries, not ours.

If we are honest with ourselves, many of us are scared. Scared for yourselves and worried for your loved ones. We hope and pray they won’t get sick and that we can see them soon. And it is not just for health that we worry, there are the financial implications. Businesses are shut down, no paychecks are coming in. Anxiety has kicked in. So, what now?

As Christians, we are not supposed to worry or be scared, which causes us then to feel guilty when we do become worried or scared. All of those emotions are normal. Jesus knows you have them. And He doesn’t condemn you, but He doesn’t want you to stay there. He is here to give you hope. A hope that is sure and confident. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast” Hebrews 6:19.

So what do we do? We turn our eyes upon Jesus, we ask the Lord to open our eyes that we may see Him. There is an event in the Old Testament, in the book of 2 Kings. Elisha, a prophet of God, and his servant are surrounded by the horses and chariots and great army of the king of Aram (Syria). The servant of Elisha awoke and saw this army and was afraid. Here is that account:

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” (In my words, “what now?”) the servant asked.

¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:15-17

Elisha lived in the calm sense of God's immediate presence. This was the secret of his power. He asked the Lord that his servant’s eyes would also be open to see the power of the Lord! And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes to see His power, His chariots of fire! Let’s ask the Lord for our eyes to be open. If we live continually in the sense of God's protecting presence, what calm power there will be in our lives!

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:18

 

       ♪ Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

             Open the eyes of my heart

                    I want to see You

                    I want to see You

             To see you high and lifted up

           Shinin’ in the light of Your glory

             Pour out Your power and love

               As we sing holy, holy, holy ♪