This is raw  – if that will disappoint you, perhaps you might seriously consider skipping this edition of The White Stone.

Papa, perhaps I talked too much today; even so, I am not pleased with this world we now live in. The distancing. The line to walk to enter a store. The Xs to stand on and wait. What kind of world is this? Where’s the faith in You in this? It’s just fear and more fear – fear of a virus we cannot see and fear of the people we do see.

Here on this front porch at our own little address, I get to pretend our world has not changed but just a short trip to Walmart tells me my pretending is pretense. How did we let this happen? And is it reversible? Can we be free to walk as before? Can we ever not fear touching one another? Thousands upon thousands of years man has lived with hugs and embracing and now, here in 2020 the world hugs no more. Oh yes – virtual hugs. Hogwash! Who can believe that jibberish?! What a pack of lies we have believed; a bill of goods we have bought! And anyone of us who dares to speak otherwise is branded many non-benevolent names! It did not take much to get us to this place, did it, LORD? What a pitiful bunch! Now what? Where are the Patrick Henry’s? Where are the ________ what examples do we have? Who is going to do what?

I suspect that medical experts will never relinquish this present control they have over the world – not without a huge fight. And who will fight for us? And what’s this business with China? All three of these killer viruses of recent years have come from China. Is that so? Where’s the social distancing from China? Why let anyone of them come here for decades forward? At least until China’s dictators repent of their compelling drive to rule the world. That will never be, will it? I remember Your Word. Two hundred million soldiers. So what if they kill off a few of their own to kill millions of the world – whether by virus or other weapons? What’s that to them? Oh, what evil people we are! We have ruined this glorious world You gave us to inhabit. Please come back and take it back. We are not fit to be here.

Perhaps the day will come when I have a better opinion of who we have become – but not today.

Abba, I pray for answers. I pray for deliverance from not only this virus but the minds that got us here. I pray for deliverance from the people who got us here. I pray for hope and touch and love to revive in us. This isolation is not Your way, is it? It’s just not You. You came seeking us when we were hiding in the Garden. We are hiding again, LORD, come rescue us. I am reminded of a future time You described to us in Your Word. Revelation 6:16. Is this a prelude?