I know that things seem pretty scary right now. It’s the uncertainty that worries us the most. We fear for our livelihoods and that we may lack the basic necessities of life. We fear that we do not know the truth. We fear the actions of others that seem so irrational in the face of danger. We fear for the safety and health of ourselves and our loved ones. We fear separation, we fear death. 

This uncertainty gives us the opportunity to refocus. It drives us to remember what and who matters and to seek protection in the only one who can really provide it.  

When I was young, I learned Matthew 6:33, “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” In the early days of the Emmanuel Quartet, we sang this verse in the King James Version, but not until much later did I realize how important the message was. Jesus was trying to tell me: seek me before anything else. What is the first thing I do every morning? Do I turn on the news? What is the one thing I look forward to the most? Before I read that book, watch that show, work in the garden, ride my bike, whatever it is that I love or do with my time; do I spend my first moments seeking God? 

Jesus says that if you seek the kingdom of God first, all the other things that you need will be given to you. Finally, in verse 34, Jesus caps it all off by saying, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Tomorrow’s trouble is enough for today.  

What are the troubles that haunt your thoughts today? I’ve got good news for you. 

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” 

The Emmanuel Quartet wishes you peace in this storm. God is with us, and if God is with us, nothing can stand against us (Romans 8:31). 

Tim Reutebuch, baritone