Part I: Bring Me into Focus, Cause Me to Remember

“As America Shuts Down and Mandates Citizens’ Shut-In, Global Idols of Entertainment Collapse.”

As the entrance into our second decade of the 21st century passes, this would have been my response for a descriptive newsprint headline. Shortly after a dramatic pause, I would somehow find the need to share how meditating on all of the sixteen verses of Psalm 91 (MSG) became my spiritual anchor. 

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, say this: ‘God you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I am safe!’ That’s right-he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protects you-under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing-not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows by day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t even get through your door. He ordered His angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

‘If you hold on to me for dear life,’ says God, ‘I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation.’”

The power of His written and spoken Word kept my mind from slipping into an undercurrent of consistent secular assault by mainstream media. As I witnessed many of my friends and family coming to terms with what was exploding in their respective regions and local areas, I decided to hold on to every verse as substance for mental, physical, and emotional strength.   

As a nation, we have found ourselves at war with an invisible enemy. Over the course of the past six months, our local news stations have carried reports regarding:

• The global spread of the coronavirus.
• Cruise ship passengers placed in quarantine.
• Celebrities being tested, immediately separated from society and one another.
• Increasing numbers of Covid-19 symptoms among athletes clearing stadiums.
• Presidential election campaigns switched to homebound internet studios.
• Wall Street tumbling worse than it did during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
• Work, home, and education have shifted, and small businesses have scrambled to stay alive.
• Economic stimulus packages have been implemented in an effort to shore up the economy.

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What in the WORLD? When you stop to think and reflect about all that has taken place thus far, you almost wonder what or who could have thought to stage a hoax of this magnitude? Is this even real? Am I hallucinating? And by the way—no, you weren’t dreaming. The events listed above did happen, and there wasn’t a hazy, crazy day that passed without imagining and adjusting to what the following day’s reports would bring. Our global community was in the midst of a historical shift once again.

The promise of a celebration that would last throughout the year was turned inside out, and family-oriented rites of passage were postponed or cancelled. I pray you’ve taken a few mid-year moments to catch your breath, experience pockets of peace, and collect your thoughts in hopes of a brighter day. And if you’re still fumbling through the rubble of collapsed ideals and dream vacations, in search of clear direction to stabilize your thoughts, let’s glean from a historical lens and create a more relatable perspective for our lives today. Let’s start to regain mental clarity by remembering to study the ways and manner by which biblical leaders sought guidance during situations of uncertainty and defeat. I think King David said it best when he prayed for insight and direction, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right [steadfast] spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 ESV) He understood that in moments of shifting narratives, despite what has happened, life and death is still in the power of the tongue. He kept inhaling and exhaling what he knew to be the truth, “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos in my life.” (Psalm 51:10 MSG)

Do you remember how an analog camera works? To bring a captured image from one dimension to another requires your participation. In order to make an impression on the film, you have to start the process. The camera by itself will not capture what’s in front of it just by being in a standstill position. You have to pick up the device, choose which eye to open, look through the viewfinder, and locate your subject. Before you press the button and release the shutter that allows the illumination to highlight your scene, the decision to capture any other image, any other way, has to be removed. With both eyes open, you can’t see, envision, or focus. You have to choose one object, one direction, and one center point. It’s going to be a relief to finally let go, and take the shot. But don’t settle for the first exposure. Keep going until you use all of the film. Remember to reframe each picture with the new decision for your life. “And so I insist-and God backs me up on this-that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.” (Ephesians 4:17-19 MSG)

Ultimately, when the roll has been developed, the images start to emerge. Through the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the sacrificial offering for the atonement of our sins had been accepted by our Father. The shaken ground, the stone that rolled away, and the visible witness of His resurrected life created a path so that I’m able to go directly to the throne of grace and cry aloud, “ABBA! My victory has been secured through your Son’s sacrifice.” In every case, in spite of bleak and grim circumstances, the battle had already been declared to the serpent by our Father in Genesis 3:14-15. “I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel.” 

Stay tuned for Part Two, where we focus on the righteous ruling through you.

Lady Nicole Brisard

LADY NICOLE BRISARD

 

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