It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.

Psalm 27:11

Tripp's challenge to us in this meditation is that we aren't "as spontaneous and reactive as you might think." That is, our lives are all organized around the pursuit of something. Everyone's life has a goal (stated or unstated) and the things they choose to do are always in pursuit of that.

God, who created us, told us the purpose for which we were created and what the goal of our lives should be: the enjoyment and magnification of his glory. Yet, from our first parents in the garden right up to today, we replace that objective with ones of our own making.

Proverbs calls this the "way that seems right to a man." Eugene Peterson calls it the trinity: "my wants, my needs, my feelings." Tripp calls it our "functional view of life," by which we "make sense out of what is and what is expected."

These two objectives are at war within our hearts. At times, we pursue the will of God. And at other times we pursue our own. This isn't an unimportant choice - one path leads to death and the other to life. But also, only one of these paths leads to confident, hopeful, peace in times of trial.

Circumstances like COVID19 can really mess up my current plan and put a fog around my future ones. I cannot organize my life around "my wants, my needs, and my feelings" and have any kind of hope or peace in times of difficulty. It's only when I'm organizing my life around God's plans (which circumstances, even unpleasant ones reveal) that I can have peace in troubled waters. 

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. What "treasures" tend to claim your heart and set the agenda for your life?

- Fun - fun with family, fun with friends, fun with stuff. I want the freedom to do what I want because I think it's going to be more fun than whatever God has planned for me. 

2. Where have your wants, needs, and feelings set more of the agenda for you than the call of the Lord in his Word?

- I need to be more patient. God's plans are always better than mine and yet I remain convinced that if I don't get what I want now I won't get it at all - I'll miss out. When I act on that feeling, I take what I want now (which is sin) and I do so at the expense of whatever future (great) blessing God had in store.