God is in Control, not the Corona Virus

My Help Comes from the Lord

Psa 121:1  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

Psa 121:2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

Psa 121:3  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Psa 121:4  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Psa 121:5  The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

Psa 121:6  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

Psa 121:7  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

Psa 121:8  The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

This morning the above scriptures came to mind (verse 2). My help comes the from the Lord. I’ve been reading all the drastic headlines and stories about the corona virus until I’m so discouraged, I can hardly get out of bed! They say we could be in this state (self-isolation) for up to 18 months and it will come and go in waves. The economy will likely collapse. Then what? Truly it is a demonic scourge on the world.

And then the Lord reminded me that without Him, there is no hope, in this life or the next, with or without the virus. Where does our help come from? It comes from the Lord, the One who created the world and us in the first place; it’s His. It doesn’t belong to the virus. And I am His. I don’t belong to the world or the virus. And hopefully, you can say the same, that you belong to the Lord.

So, in light of this, I thought ever deeper about what God could possibly be working out through allowing this deathly frightening virus to invade all of our lives. I thought it must be temporary because His Word says to “Go out and preach the Gospel to every creature,” so how can you do that when you are in quarantine and self isolation? I know there’s social media, but how effective is that? Will people read the Bible online or be led away by all the other information vying for our attention, namely the corona virus stories? To me the whole pandemic and how it operates goes completely against Scripture, plus it is fuelled by fear. God’s Word says fear is a spirit. And God removes that for Christians, so we have no fear in sharing the Gospel to the lost:

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2Ti 1:8  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

I’m not saying to go out and defy the self-distancing request. I’m saying, take a look at what God’s Word says because it is based on solid truth. God cannot lie. His Word trumps the virus, and all the negative news and naysayers in the world and beyond!

So, what is God’s purpose in all of this? Many things have come to mind for me.

Mostly, this is a time of reckoning for reckless living. We reap what we sow.

Those who put their trust in money, the stock exchange, their job and paycheque will be severely impacted by being house bound and social distancing. Those who focused on their sports, travel, booze, recreational drugs, or any other entertainment, and anything else over and above a first love for God, will have to face the consequences of laying down their idols of pleasure. The pain of detox and withdrawal may occur. And even other people can become an idol if we turn to them rather than God first. Hence, the social distancing.

For Christians, we need to make sure we love Jesus first and foremost (the first commandment), and none of this should affect us, except in a good way. Perhaps we have become too worldly minded that we are no heavenly good! We need to heed the following:

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Now is the time to seek the Lord! Lay down those idols of travel, entertainment, sports, movies or anything else that has taken God’s FIRST place in our hearts.

As Christians, we are filled with hope. We serve a mighty awesome God, there is none to compare. We have our faithful Lord to see us through anything. We have His Word filled with promises. He has our back. He is the one in control of every situation. He determines the day of our birth and the day of our death. And remember, the Apostle Paul said it is better to be with the Lord. We have nothing to fear. Jesus has overcome this virus and every other sickness and disease when He died on the cross and rose again! By His stripes we ARE HEALED!

But, let’s never take Him for granted. How much prayer are we doing? Are we going out and taking this power we have through prayer and covering the grocery store, hospitals, pharmacy and other public places each time we go out to get something? Let’s remember that the length of this pandemic, according to Scripture, will in all likelihood have to do with our prayer life and getting our hearts right with God in every area of our lives. This is pleasing to God, and He will respond. He’s not our sugar daddy, there to magically whisk away the pandemic. No! He is Sovereign and Holy. He will not go against His Word, but we must do what His word says!

2Ch 7:13  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We may read this and go, “What wicked ways?” Maybe we think we’re above “wicked ways.” We are not to judge ourselves. God knows our hearts. The concept and desired outcome remain the same. We need to sincerely seek God’s face, ask Him to search our hearts, and pray.

Perhaps we’ve been so busy running around day to day that we have neglected the most basic things: prayer and Bible study. Let’s get back to those things and seek God’s face; it’s time to return to our FIRST LOVE, Jesus, the Redeemer of our souls. We are not desperate like the world is, but we are here to make a difference. Let’s do that and remember, there is nothing to fear if you serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

1Jn 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

NOTE: If you are reading this and you have not yet given your heart and life to Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who died for you and loves you, please go to this link. There’s a guide to help you find your way. Please don’t delay. While protecting yourself from the virus is important, your salvation is ultimately THE MOST IMPORTANT decision you will ever make.  Remember, there is only one brief life here on earth, and there’s no turning back. Eternity is forever!  Ensure you make the right decision to enter God’s heaven.  Please contact us via our webpage for spiritual help, prayer, or further information.