As I prepared to “drive down the road” of 2020, I expected it to be a pretty normal “road,” other than being an election year with a very consequential election.  I knew that the road of life could hold twists and turns that I just didn’t see coming. But had I seen the constant twists and hairpin turns that I was about to encounter in 2020, I definitely would have fastened my seatbelt more tightly.

COVID

On the very last day of 2019, a strange new virus was reported to the World Health Organization by China. It wasn’t supposed to be a big threat to America. By the end of February it had reached Oregon, and by the end of March the governor of Oregon had invoked “stay-at-home” orders. In a hairpin turn, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a pandemic . In this unknown territory everyone was washing their hands frequently, washing their groceries, and sanitizing everything in sight. There was sometimes no toilet paper to be bought in the stores. Kids couldn’t go to school. No one could eat in restaurants. Some people had to work at home or not work at all. People in nursing homes could only be visited through windows. I sometimes felt as though I had taken a wrong turn into some area outside reality. I wished I could find my way back onto a road into the normal.

The twists in the road of 2020 included Dr. Fauci advising us not to wear a mask, then advising that we should wear a mask, some saying you must wear a mask while others said they do no good. Then there was the good news that Hydroxychloroquine was very helpful for treating the coronavirus, now dubbed Covid-19.  But then we were informed that Hydroxychloroquine wasn’t  really helpful and might even be harmful, though evidence that it really was very helpful would later leak out.

GEORGE FLOYD-I CAN’T BREATHE

Another hairpin turn came at the end of May, when a black man named George Floyd was arrested and the pressure of an officer’s knee on his neck caused him to die. The road took a turn into the downtown of my own city—Portland. Downtown businesses had been vandalized. A beautiful, historic elk statue in the heart of downtown had been toppled. Beautiful downtown Portland had boarded-up windows with profanities sprayed all over them. Now the “pestilence” and “lawlessness” of Bible prophecy for the end times came to mind.

This was an election year. How were the two major parties supposed to have conventions in the middle of a pandemic? I turned on my radio and found that the Democrat Party would have a virtual convention. Later I heard that the Republicans would have part of the convention virtually and the acceptance speech on the White House lawn. I heard report after report of the citizens of America being extremely polarized behind the two opposing presidential candidates.

WILDFIRES IN OREGON

Another unexpected hairpin turn came in late summer. Around the sharp bend the sky suddenly looked bright orange, and I could smell smoke in the air. I turned on the radio and heard that there were wildfires consuming thousands of acres. Just after Labor Day, Oregon fires were completely out of control. I heard that a few towns had been burned off the map, and fires were threatening the urban areas around Portland and some other major Oregon cities. Basically, the whole state was considered to be in a Level 1 alert or higher. Thankfully, the crisis passed Portland by, but some Oregonians suffered tragic losses of property or even loss of loved ones.

ELECTION

But I should not have loosened my seatbelt when the fires died down. Yet another hairpin turn would come on the election of November 3rd. The election couldn’t be determined. I drove through dense fog for days. It took days and days to certify the vote counts. The media stated over and over that there was absolutely no evidence of fraudulent votes or fraudulent counts. Meanwhile, one attorney had found much evidence of improper voting procedures and another had found substantial evidence of tampering with the voting machines with questionable software.  There was even a video of poll workers pulling out suitcases filled with more ballots after other workers had been dismissed due to a supposed water leak in the building. The Electoral College eventually cast sufficient votes for the Democrat presidential candidate, but the fog remains. Many Americans are certain that the election was hijacked.

As I write this article, I am unable to see through the fog to what lies ahead in the road of 2021. With the uncertainty of the election and the uncertainty of the Covid-19 vaccine’s delivery timeframe and its safety, I am uncertain what will happen as I drive down the road of 2021.  So what can I do to prepare for the road through 2021, as unpredictable as it may be?

• First, I can obey the “road signs” I find in the Bible that teach me how to navigate life. In John 15:10 [WEB] Jesus said: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.”
• Secondly, I can make sure I always secure the “seatbelt” of prayer around me to invite God’s protection. Psalm 57:1 [WEB] records David calling out to God: “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me; for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” But I also need to pray for the revelation of any corruption in our leaders and any complacency in the church. Proverbs 14:34 [WEB] tells us: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
• Thirdly, I can pay attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit as the “GPS” to guide me on my way. In the book of Acts we see examples of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Acts 16:6-7 [WEB] says: “When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them.”
• Lastly, when the “heat” of heavy trials become seemingly unbearable, I can turn on the “air conditioning” of the future promises of God to make my ride more comfortable. Romans 8:18 [WEB] says: “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.”

The uncertainty of the road ahead reminds me of a song I had not heard for quite a while. I hope it might be encouraging to you as you begin this new year in this unsure time. Click on the video below to hear the song.

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