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[caption id="attachment_170709" align="aligncenter" width="800"]"Bringing us back to our land" by Claire McGarry (CatholicMom.com) Image: Pixabay.com (2016), CC0/PD[/caption]

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our landscape is shifting on a daily basis. We are all floundering about, trying to find somewhere solid and unchanging to place our feet. Some people are trying to stand on the stones of blame, pointing the finger at politicians and God.

I, for one, have never thought God was, or is, to blame for any problem in our world. I do believe, however, that God always show up in the midst of the problem, hand outstretched, wanting to accompany us through to the other side.

Thus says the Lord God: I will soon take the Israelites from among the nations to which they have gone and gather them from all around to bring them back to their land. (Ezekiel 37:21)

Prior to this situation, I think we were all a bit like the Israelites: scattered about in where we placed our priorities, where we invested our time, what we raised up as gods. Slowly and subtly, some of us began to worship those gods. Be it social media, health and fitness, running a business or ministry, some of us lost our way, putting other things before the one, true God.

The gift within this pandemic is the question it makes us ask of ourselves: Is my faith in God strong enough to get me through? It shouldn't just be a big picture question, asking ourselves if we believe enough to get through this entire situation. It should be a small picture question, asking ourselves if we believe enough to get through today, with peace and calm, despite thousands of people losing their jobs daily, hundreds of new people testing positive for the virus every 24 hours.

God wants to gather us to Him, to His heart, and have us quarantine ourselves there. His love is an ever-solid rock to stand upon, and it will never change, despite the chaos and tragedy pounding at the door.

He is the land we are to take possession of. He is the One we need to put and keep first. When we do, we inherit His promise of lasting peace and hope, no matter the circumstances.

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Copyright 2020 Claire McGarry