John Murphy:
This is the Rock House Center Podcast, and I'm John Murphy.

Beth Murphy:
I'm Beth Murphy, and today we want to talk about how COVID is impacting people's lives.

John Murphy:
It’s affecting lives in many ways. We’re getting calls from people who need help, and we’ve noticed a shift toward greater fear and anxiety.

Beth Murphy:
It’s fear and anxiety about current circumstances and what they mean personally, but even more, people are experiencing an intensifying of what was already there. Calls have increased, and as the news reports show, there’s more divorce, separation, strife in marriages, and struggles at home with children. While families spending more time together has had positives, it’s also exposed relational issues that were easy to overlook before. We’re hearing about intensifying anxiety and depression—issues that started in childhood and now occur more frequently and intensely.

John Murphy:
We’ve had many calls about people losing their personal peace. They say, “I was doing better before COVID. Now I’ve lost my stability.” Fear is driving behaviors people regret—like overeating, drinking, or obsessing over distractions. People are trying to manage their loss of peace. A big question we hear is, “Where is God in this? How will He redeem this?” Some believe COVID is punishment or discipline from God, but suffering in the world is not something God sends. However, these circumstances reveal where we stand with God. When life is disrupted, do we turn to Him or to things we’ve depended on that are now failing?

Beth Murphy:
That’s the basis of what we want to discuss—where God is in this and how He redeems it. It starts with realizing the things we’ve trusted in to make life work. COVID has pulled back the curtain, showing us those things aren’t reliable. They can crash at any moment. God wants to transfer our dependency from those things to Him.

John Murphy:
Everyone needs something bigger than the world to trust in. We’re built for peace through trusting God completely. To the degree we trust something else, we lose peace. People often find substitutes—things that seem to work for a while but never truly satisfy. COVID has exposed that these substitutes can’t sustain peace when life is disrupted. People trust in jobs, money, routines, even lucky charms. But when jobs are lost, markets drop, and relationships fail, those dependencies collapse. This shows how much we’ve relied on things we can control instead of God.

Beth Murphy:
We also depend on relationships—spouses, friends—and when they disappoint us or behave unpredictably, it robs us of joy. Add to that the loss of routines like work and school, and life feels unmanageable. Scripture speaks to this in 1 John 2:15–17, describing “the pride of life”—confidence in our own resources or the stability of earthly things. That pride leaves us exposed when those things fail. Without something trustworthy for peace, fear and anxiety take over, leading to sleepless nights, irritability, and difficulty focusing.

John Murphy:
COVID has intensified struggles—bringing old traumas to the surface and exposing relational fractures. Parents worry about anxious children and isolated teens whose social systems have collapsed. So how does God redeem this? By helping us identify counterfeit dependencies and transfer them to Him. That’s what we see at Rock House—clients experience profound change, not because circumstances change, but because their reactions do. Former clients tell us that if COVID had hit before they came to Rock House, it would have rocked their world. Now they’re walking through it peacefully. That’s what God does.

Beth Murphy:
God redeems by moving us from a control-based operating system to a trust-based one. When we trust Him instead of ourselves, peace replaces anxiety. So let’s use this opportunity to identify what we’ve depended on that has let us down. What took a hit during COVID—health, finances, job, relationships? If losing access to something robs you of peace, that’s a sign of dependency. Anytime we put something in the place in our heart where God belongs, we set ourselves up for fear. Only God is perfectly trustworthy. He’s always available and loves us completely.

John Murphy:
This also applies to life’s unknowns—government upheaval, social instability. We were never in control, but things felt stable before. Now God is pushing us to trust Him with the unknowns.

Beth Murphy:
So let’s pray. Ask God to show you what you’ve depended on instead of Him, and then ask Him to replace it with His presence and peace.

John Murphy:
Heavenly Father, reveal anything I’ve depended on instead of You to fill my deepest needs. Show me what has disrupted my peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Whatever came to mind first is likely the thing. Write it down and pray through each one. Here’s the prayer:
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for relying on anything in the world to fill my deepest needs. I reject my dependency on [fill in the blank]. Break its control over my life and my peace. Heal me from suffering caused by this dependency. Strengthen me to resist returning to it. Remove it from the place in my heart where only You belong. Bring Your presence, peace, and assurance into my heart. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

I also pray this daily:
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the peace I have. I declare it comes only from You. Invade my heart with Your presence. Strengthen me to trust You alone for peace. In Jesus’ name.”

Beth Murphy:
Thank you for joining us. We pray this begins God’s redemption of the COVID experience. If you’re struggling with anxiety and need help, visit rockhousecenter.com to schedule a free conversation. At the very least, you’ll be prayed for. Invite God into your thinking and connect with Him for peace. Goodbye.

John Murphy:
Thanks for listening. Goodbye.