Month: February 2026

We just finished singing our last worship song. The Pastor walked up to the podium. The congregation assumed he was going to give a benediction. Instead, he calmly made this announcement.

“The Sheriff’s department just informed me that we are on lockdown. There is a shooter in the area, and we ask that all of you remain in the sanctuary. For those of you with toddlers and children, you may get them and return to the sanctuary where we will be praying.”

Confusion. Worry. Concern.

We have all seen news stories about lockdowns. This was the first time I experienced it. Thankfully, within 20 minutes, the shooter was captured, and we were allowed to leave. However, the experience was disturbing. Ironically, just 4 days later, I witnessed another lockdown in the hospital next to the clinic where my wife was getting some lab work done. This time, a convict escaped from the hospital where he was receiving treatment and was hiding in a home across the street. Two police helicopters, a SWAT team, and at least a dozen police cars had sectioned off an entire block. I was barely able to leave.

Two lockdowns in less than a week. In both situations, the instructions were the same. 

Stay where you are. Do not panic. Wait. That goes against instinct. When danger is near, we want to move. We want to fix. We want to control. We want information.  But lockdown means surrendering movement.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

God reminds us that a refuge is not a place you run around in. It is a place you remain in. And then the verse we often quote — but rarely practice:

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Be still. Not because danger is imaginary. Not because fear is irrational. But because God is sovereign even when sirens are loud and helicopters circle overhead. In the sanctuary, parents retrieved their children and came back to pray. In the hospital parking lot, strangers looked at one another with unspoken concern. Two different places. Same lesson.

When threat surrounds you, where do you run? The disciples once panicked in a storm. Jesus was in the boat — yet they were afraid. Their circumstances were real. The waves were real. But so was the presence of Christ. Lockdowns expose something. They reveal what we trust. Do I trust police response times? Security systems? News updates? My own ability to calculate escape routes? Or do I trust the Lord who numbers my days before one of them comes to be? 

Lockdown is forced stillness. Sometimes God allows external lockdowns to expose internal unrest. We may not face shooters every week. But we all face seasons where movement stops — retirement transitions, medical uncertainty, strained relationships, cultural instability. The instinct is always the same: escape. But faith often looks like staying put — under His authority, under His protection, under His providence. The church sanctuary did not make us safe. The hospital parking lot did not make us vulnerable. Safety has never ultimately been geographic. It is theological.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Proverbs 18:10 (ESV)

Notice: we run to Him. Then we stay.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #lockdown #Psalm46:1

“Oh my! They have a commanding lead. The victory is theirs to lose!”

How many times have these words been uttered?

We hear them during the Olympics. We hear them in championship games. We hear them on election night. Analysts lean forward, confidence rising in their voices. The outcome feels inevitable. The numbers look decisive. The gap seems insurmountable. It’s theirs to lose. And then — somehow — they lose. A misstep. A missed shot. An unexpected surge. A late-breaking revelation. The crowd gasps. Commentators scramble for explanations. The once-certain becomes fragile in a matter of seconds. We call it an upset. But Scripture calls it something else.

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV)

The apostle Paul was not speaking about medals or elections. He was speaking about the human heart. There is something in us that loves certainty — especially when we believe we are on the winning side. We measure leads. We calculate margins. We compare ourselves with others and quietly conclude, I’m doing well. I’m secure. I’m ahead.

Spiritually, we can begin to say the same thing: My marriage is strong. My career is stable. My health is good. My faith is mature. It’s mine to lose. But Paul warns us — not to live in fear — but to live in humility. The greatest collapses do not begin on the track or in the voting booth. They begin in the heart, when confidence shifts from God to self.

Israel had seen miracles. They had passed through the sea. They had eaten manna from heaven. Yet Paul reminds the Corinthians that many still fell because they grew careless, complacent, self-assured. The danger is not standing. The danger is thinking we stand.

The favored athlete loses not because talent disappeared, but because margins are thinner than we think. So it is with the soul. Every breath is grace. Every victory is mercy. Every day of faithfulness is sustained by the Lord. Apart from Him, we do not stand. In Him, we are held.

Perhaps the next time a commentator says, “It’s theirs to lose,” we might pause and whisper something different: “Lord, keep me from presumption. Keep me from pride. Keep me close.”

Because the race that matters most is not about dominance — it is about dependence. And the One who truly stands is the One who humbly walks with God.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #itstheirstolose #1Corinthians10:12

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“Did your son bring lunch today?”

The text message flashed across my phone screen. I immediately knew what happened. The previous evening, after my son went to bed, I prepared a lunch for him and left it in the refrigerator. My son diligently puts his lunch in his backpack every morning before we leave for his therapy sessions. However, this morning, he didn’t know it was there. Fortunately, his therapy classes are ten minutes from our home, and I raced over to deliver his lunch. When I saw his therapist standing with him outside the entrance, I expected him to be happy. Instead, he was clearly upset. I apologized to both of them, explaining that I had forgotten to tell my son I had prepared the lunch. Several hours later, when I picked him up at the end of his session, he was still upset, but this time, on the verge of tears. I attempted to encourage him and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about your lunch, but you know Daddy and Mommy would never forget about you. We always take care of you. C’mon, let’s listen to your favorite radio station.”

I thought everything was back to normal, but an hour later, I received a text message from his therapist, addressed to my wife and me. “Just wanted to share with the two of you that your son seemed visibly emotional (teary-eyed) today, when he realized he forgot his lunch. We talked about advocating and communicating with us so we can help. He was in better spirits after you brought lunch, but it definitely threw him off, so I wanted to share. Thanks for bringing the lunch over.”

I thanked the therapist for the text. My wife did not respond, but did pick up my son from a later therapy session, then took him to his basketball practice. Later that evening, she shared with me that on the way home, he was a bit quieter, and when she spoke to my son, she did not mention the lunch. To her surprise, my son told her, “I failed.” When she asked him about it, he replied, “I forgot my lunch.” My wife reassured him that he did not fail and that we both love him very much and will always take care of him.

I was saddened after my wife told me this. That evening, as I tucked my son into bed, I told him, “Hey Buddy.! Always remember, you are a winner! God loves you. Daddy and Mommy love you. Your sister loves you. Your teachers and friends love you.” I hugged him once again.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)

Only my son thought he failed. He carried that hurt with him the entire day. We knew he didn’t fail, but he needed reassurance. As I reflected upon this day, I understood why God must continually do the same for us. How many times have I thought I have failed God, and how many times has he patiently reminded me that I am not a failure in His eyes? He will never leave nor forsake me. I can believe this through God’s eternal promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors through faith and belief in Him!

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #Deuteronomy31:8 #Ifailed