We are currently living in a troubled, turbulent world.

The Rev. Dr. John Robert Black, the senior pastor at my church, St. Luke-Simpson United Methodist Church, in a special message Sunday talked about the issues with which we are trying to cope.

Here are some he mentioned:

The coronavirus pandemic is about as bad as it’s ever been. We are still trying to recover from two devastating 2020 hurricanes and historic flooding back on May 17.

The situation in Afghanistan has seriously damaged America’s credibility. We have strained relations with China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

Then, there is the unprecedented weather, economic volatility, yearly reminders of school shootings and riots on Capitol Hill.

Is it any wonder people are having to deal with so much stress? I can’t remember a time in this country’s history when there has been so much ranting and raving over what are serious protective health measures — wearing face masks and getting COVID-19 vaccinations.

Black said 78 percent of the population is stressed about the delta variant of COVID-19, the deadly coronavirus pandemic disease. Seventy percent are stressed about the future of the country, he said. And 71 percent think the U.S. is at its lowest point in American history.

Our mental health has also been affected. Black said 10 percent of American youth are depressed. An additional 460,000 people in the last year have experienced serious suicidal thoughts.

In light of all of this, it’s only natural for people to ask when things will get back to normal. Black addressed that issue as well. Normal is not coming back, he said, “so scratch that off. Everything will be different.”

Then, he asked and answered these questions: How do we live in this new existence? What do we do when our emotions in the times in which we live are in clear violation of the teachings of scripture? What do we do when we know something is wrong and yet can’t seem to do anything about it?

Black said we return to our faith, whatever that faith may be. We read the Bible and worship, both of which provide the answers for the questions people of faith are asking. Black rolled off a number of scriptures that fit the occasion.

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

In order to relieve our stress, Black said we should talk to professionals and those we trust about our problems. Young people need to talk to parents, teachers and counselors.

The Bible has to be more popular than social media, he said, and stronger than 24-hour incredibly biased news outlets. And he added that politicians need to be understood as important public servants, but they are not the savior.

Black said the verses he quoted tell him that Isaiah, Moses, David, Peter and Joshua had similar stressful feelings.

“The great irony is that despite all of this, we’re still people of mission; we’re still people who go out into this world and say we’ve got good news,” Black said. “We’re still people who believe that the darkness of the world doesn’t prove there is no God but rather amplifies our need for God.”

At a time of declining church membership and attendance, we need to reclaim our faith. It’s always there. We just sometimes let other concerns force it into the background.

Black’s message struck a chord with me, and I wanted to share it with our readers. It’s because I have felt many of their same fears. I hoped his message might help all of us remember that we are a better people than we have been over the last couple of years, and that we still have a God who loves us all.