The unconventional twists and turns of the year 2020 are driving just about everyone stir crazy.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to adapt to a new normal of uncertainty that requires us to step outside our comfort zones. Our favorite restaurants are shut down; children are learning academics from the comfort of their sofas; masks are required to enter a business; social distancing compels us to physically separate from one another. We’ve been propelled into an alternate universe where change itself has become a force to be reckoned with.

While some may argue that the lock-down is just a preamble for those eager to implement more government control, there is a more sinister agenda that is present:

FEAR.

Whether intentionally or not, we tend to reside in personal comfort. Before we move into a house, we want to make sure the neighborhood is safe. Before we eat at a restaurant, we look at the menu online to see if we want what’s being offered. Before we send our kids to school, we ensure that we’re comfortable with the teachers and the curriculum. Before we become members at a church, we test the doctrine presented and consider the congregation’s cultural and physical dichotomy.

Whenever comfort becomes disrupted, fear makes its presence known.

This election cycle has served as a host to fear and anxiety. While one candidate speaks of a ‘dark winter’ looming with the ongoing coronavirus, the other camp claims that you won’t be safe if their opponent wins the election.

Partisan attacks are common and expected in an election season, but what our nation is experiencing is a daily dose of fear, and it’s not good for our spiritual or mental health.

A virus can attack us physically, but with medicine and proper rest, we have a good chance of healing and recovery. But physical ailments combined with human manipulation of the emotions can lead us into a tunnel of darkness with no end in sight.

We must remember our Creator’s words that were spoken in the Psalms when King David declared,

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1, ESV

The prophet Isaiah said,

For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Isaiah 41:13, ESV

Christians must be acutely aware of what is at stake during this election season. We must participate in conversations with our families and peers about the importance of our religious freedoms and liberties. But within our discussions, there should also be the reassuring peace that no singular politician can take away. There must be the remembrance that the Lord is Sovereign and that those who live for him have no reason to fear or doubt.

Am I suggesting that naivety and ignorance be our companion? Absolutely not. But how can we minister to a broken world that is immersed in doubt if we propagate fear of a particular political or cultural result?

I don’t know how long the virus will be present. I don’t know what the consequences of the election will be. I’m not sure if we will be projected into a socialist society or not. But what I do know is that the Word of God is full of promises of peace and prosperity and that it’s not contingent upon a political party, ideology, or a health pandemic.

Our mandate is to point people to Jesus.

He is the Prince of Peace.

Peace is the antidote to fear.

If we want to share the antidote with others, perhaps we should inject it into ourselves first.

Demetrius Minor

Demetrius Minor is a minister, author, and political commentator. He is a former radio talk show host and television personality. He is also a member of the Project 21 advisory board of black conservative leaders across the United States. He and his wife, Riesa, serve on the leadership staff at Tampa Life Church in Tampa, FL.