During the pandemic, much of the news is dire. Daily reports of death and despair seem to dominant the headlines. What you don’t always hear much about is faith and the positive impact it has on our well-being. But this important part of life should be reported. Faith is good news!

While so many people struggle right now with feelings of despair, faith keeps you hopeful. Faith is our rock and anchor for the storm. It is the one constant in our life. God never changes. His promises are true yesterday, today and forever. Faith brings stability to our life.

We’ve learned that during this time, more people are praying. Even people who never pray are praying. The Pew Research Center reports that religious habits have shifted during the pandemic. People are praying for the virus to stop spreading and using prayer to cope.

Faith is about trust. We trust in God even when we see terrible things around us because  fundamentally we believe God loves us. We serve a God who sent His Son to the cross, to suffer and die for our salvation. This fact is the greatest love anyone can express. For God so loved the world that He sent his Son to suffer for our sake. God is love. He loves and cares for us. He’s present in this crisis. We are not alone. What great comfort this is for the soul!

When we are scared or anxious, we talk to God. Just like the psalmist David cried out to God and found a refuge in His Lord, we can do the same. We also believe that whatever God allows, He will use somehow for our good. Perhaps we grow deeper in our faith, learn to really trust God in difficult times, get our priorities right, serve others, and build compassion for the suffering. Many are reconnecting with family and friends. Some marriages have been saved as couples lose their busyness, distractions and focus more on each other. Memories are built: game nights, hikes and family dinners. Our empathy and appreciation for teachers, first responders, health care workers, grocery store workers, gas station attendants and others has grown. Our helplessness has led to a new dependence on God.

As we lean into our faith, it is deepened. God brings peace in the middle of this pandemic. It is a peace that makes no sense in the natural, but it is real and beyond our understanding. People of faith choose to believe that God will use this pandemic for our good. And while we can’t always see the good, He has the big picture of how it all works out.

Faith reminds us, we are not in control. Thankfully, our good God is!