31 March 2020
While the world worries over the coronavirus pandemic, as Christians we look to God’s Word for comfort and encouragement. There are great passages like this one from Lamentations:
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Or from Isaiah:
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Then there’s Jehoshaphat’s famous prayer:
“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12
And of course, the Psalms never fail to throw up the right kind of response:
“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Psalms 16:8
These verses and many more besides, make the same point. They give us a template for responding to all our circumstances and fears. First and foremost, the verses speak of trusting God. There’s no point in predominantly relying on our employers, our investments, our government, our own resilience, or even our families and friends… of course we hope these will all work well for our mutual benefit, but they can’t guarantee anything. God alone knows the end from the beginning – it makes total sense to trust him.
We have confidence that God is able to protect us and help us navigate this crisis. But does that mean we will keep our jobs, that we won’t get the virus, that all our family and loved ones will be safe, that things will be just the same when it’s all over? No, it doesn’t! God’s guarantee is that he is with us; that he knows our predicament; that he ensures we will not be overwhelmed by it; that his love is certain; and that our (eternal) future is secure in Christ. God doesn’t promise that no harm will befall us – but he promises us himself, his presence and his faithful care, now and in the future.
That’s a really important point to understand. By way of example, Psalm 91 says,
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side,ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Psalms 91:1-7)
So is this Psalm saying that if we have faith in God and believe his Word, we won’t contract the coronavirus – God will keep us safe from, “the pestilence that stalks in the darkness”? Experience and other Scripture passages, for example Romans 8:37, tell us that is not how to apply these verses. It’s not so much that we are saved from these things, but we are saved in them. We can’t take these promises as a blanket cover for never falling prey to dangers and disease. Christians do suffer, they are killed in war and they lose their property – ‘bad things’ happen to believers. Timothy Keller helpfully explains these verses, saying, “the only things faithful people can lose in suffering are things that are finally expendable. The real you, the one God is creating… cannot be harmed.” This explains how we can have confidence that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). The negatives are changed into positives as God in his great wisdom redeems the bad and turns it to good.
So let’s ensure we are trusting him. We don’t tell God what to do – we pray to him, and we listen to him, and we entrust our whole lives to him. Do we believe he is in control? Do we have confidence that he is carrying out his purposes? Even if we think that God will do the best for us, are we afraid of how that best will turn out? The Bible has many examples of people just like us, who made their life’s decisions based on a deep-seated, unshakeable trust in God. Job, who lost family and possessions famously said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). That’s real faith!
As for the COVID-19 crisis, no one is sure how it will pan out. That in itself should motivate us to trust God who is sovereign Ruler and knows best. Facing our anxieties and fears head-on, we don’t know if we will become ill, or retain our jobs, or how long it will be before the pandemic is over… so be like Habakkuk who placed his absolute confidence in the Lord:
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”
(Habakkuk 3:17,18)
Henry Craig
