Need a Message of Peace and Hope? Read This.

If you are reading this, the state of the world is likely hitting you hard. Honestly, you’re not alone. It’s hitting most of us hard.

COVID-19 has many living in fear and isolation. Not a great combo. I want to provide you with some peace and hope during these dark times.

Let me tell you a story

Imagine you gave up everything. You gave up your business. You gave up spending time with your family. You gave up the comfort of knowing where your bed was going to be at the end of each day. You gave up the comfort of knowing where your next meal will come from.

All to follow a man named Jesus.

Then you spent three years traveling just about everywhere with him. You witnessed some crazy things, people healed, people fed, Peter walked on water, truly the number of miracles were too numerous to count. Some you don’t even fully understand.

Then suddenly, that man who you’ve been following, Jesus, well, he dies. In fact, not only is he dead, but he was killed in the worst imaginable way – crucifixion.

He’s just gone…

What are you going to do now? Was it all for nothing? Was he the man he said he was? Are the religious leaders going to come kill us too?

The fears pile up. You feel anxiety and depression overtaking you. You lock the doors. You let no one in or out.

It’s dark in here.

We’re going to have to send someone out for food eventually. Will they come back alive? How long will we live like this?

Right now, many of us are living isolated lives much like the disciples were right after Jesus was crucified. Devoid of hope and filled with fear.

Will I catch the coronavirus? Will my family? Will there be enough food at the store when I go? What if I lose my job? How will I pay my bills? Will the economy recover? Not to mention all the normal everyday stress of life.

Let’s go back to the story of the disciples

Suddenly, Jesus showed up in a room with them. (Wasn’t that door locked!)

He was resurrected—from the dead! He proved to them it was, in fact, him. He told them to wait for the gift he was sending them.

He ascended into Heaven. He then sent his gift of the Holy Spirit to live in them, to guide them, to empower them. The disciple’s lives were forever changed.

They were no longer fearful. They went out in the city to proclaim the good news about Jesus. Thousands upon thousands. Millions upon millions of lives were changed by their message!

How does this apply to us?

Well, I don’t know if you are a believer, but I do know one thing:

If you’re looking for hope,

If you’re wanting peace during this time,

Ask Him for hope. Ask him for peace.

He is good and will give it to you.

Lean in…

I’m not saying you must proclaim full-on belief in any of this if you’re not sure about it yet. You know, like the stuff church people recite:

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.”

If you’re lacking peace and hope, all you need to do is ask. He will give it to you right where you are.

Now, much like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, we recommend doing so regularly. It’s easy to get caught up in what YOU can do, or what YOU can’t do. So even if you don’t believe in all this stuff yet, just ask for peace and hope and He’ll get you the rest of the way.

God loves you, dear reader.

Even if you don’t love him. Even if you don’t trust him.

He loves you no matter what.

I take the time to say this so you know you don’t have to go through any specific rituals or say any specific prayers to receive hope right now.

He will help give that to you. If you are full of fear during this time, and you want hope—He is the place to find it.

Many agencies will share tips on thankfulness (I’m a big fan of that). Many agencies will share tips on visualization (also a big fan). Many agencies will share tips on meditation (I highly recommend this as well.)

But I want to share something even more powerful

The real strength, the real hope, the real peace that you need cannot be manufactured by doing x, y, and z each day. It can only be received.

Now, I’m not going to promise you’ll magically stay healthy (or get better).

I’m not going to promise your family will stay healthy either.

I’m not going to promise you’ll keep your job (or find a new one easily).

I’m not going to promise you’ll even be able to pay your bills this month.

I’m not going to promise the economy will recover any time soon.

What I can promise is if you approach Him, He has a peace that surpasses all understanding that will guard your hearts and minds.

In fact, let me quote that for you:

Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you’re looking for peace and hope, I want you to know where to find it.

You find it in Jesus.

I realize the name Jesus is thrown around a lot and can almost sound like a corny “Christian” answer to trials, but He is exactly where you need to look.

He is Risen! He has you during this time. He has all of us.

Authorship: Michael K. 

P.S.: If you ever want to chat about any of this, feel free to message me – mknorr (at) thatcompany.com or click the button below.