Sheltered in God’s Word

Written by Charity Singleton Craig | I started a new read-through-the Bible plan in January, back when 2020 held the promise of being a better, more productive year than 2019. When I discovered on January 3, after three days’ worth of reading, that the plan didn’t technically start until January 6, I was delighted at being ahead of the game. Things were already looking good for the new year.

Of course I had no idea back then how important this slow slog through the whole of Scripture would be in anchoring me throughout these treacherous days of COVID-19 and sheltering in place. It’s been both easier and harder to make another pass through the Bible when I wake up each morning, wondering what else might be taken away from us, who else might have been diagnosed, and when we might finally be allowed a sense of normal again.

Despite my usual attempts to consult God’s Word first thing, before the latest installment of headlines and emails, lately I seem to be drawn initially to the hard news of the day. It’s an allowance I’ve made temporarily as my mind, body, and spirit try to adapt to an endless cycle of disease, death, and distancing. But after I check the daily death counts and read the latest COVID-19 updates, I still come back to the Bible—the only book I’ve pored over consistently for close to four decades.