When Fear Meets Faith
Our Prime Minister is in isolation. His wife has tested positive for COVID-19. Ontario schools are shut down, and all the local stores are out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer. When it is this easy to press into fear, we must choose to press into the Lord.
A Wise Response to Fear
Wisdom compels us to stay up-to-date with the news and the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Wisdom tells us to wash our hands. Wisdom dictates that we isolate if we show worrisome symptoms. Wisdom also tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs 9:10). The antidote to your anxiety and fear is not bravery, denial, or stocking your basement with hundreds and hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizers. The antidote to your anxiety and fear is wisdom, the wisdom of the Lord.
The antidote to your anxiety and #fear is not bravery, denial, or stocking your basement with hundreds of hand sanitizers. The antidote to your #anxiety and fear is #wisdom, the wisdom of the #Lord.
Tweet
Wisdom of God
Psalm 91 speaks of God’s presence and His protection. This theme repeats throughout the Psalm with words and phrases like shelter, refuge, fortress, in whom I trust (v1-2). As I meditate on these truths, a calm overcomes my soul. I will not fear the terror of night, the attacks in the day, or the fears that come in the dark because God is my refuge and dwelling place (v5-6, 9).
Look at all the Lord does for his children. He shelters us in his shadow and delivers, covers, and shields his people. He commands the angels to guard and uphold those depending on the protection of the Lord. God sets his people securely on high, remains with them, rescues, honors, and satisfies them. He lets them see salvation (v3-4, 11-12, 14-16). The Lord is active in our troubles, but the psalmist is active too.
Like the psalmist, we act by dwelling in the shelter of the Most High. That means we find our shelter and comfort in His presence. We abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and for his shadow to cover us, we must be close to him. We declare God is our safe place and fortress. We declare our trust in Him. We seek refuge with Him. We will not fear because we dwell with Him. We love Him. We know Him. We call upon God (v1-2, 4, 9, 14-15).
We decide to fill our minds with God and His Word, not fear and unknowns.
It’s time to replace thoughts of fear about the unknown with thoughts of God and His Word. #Trust #Faith #God #Christian
Tweet
No Earthly Guarantees
None of this means that believers are protected from physical harm. The promise in Psalm 91 is not supernatural protection from the virus sweeping across the world; it’s a promise that God is present and at work. It is a reminder that if God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)? The Family Worship Bible Guide explains that “God’s ordinary way is to answer the prayers of Christians by sustaining them in the trouble, then rescuing them from the trouble, and ultimately giving them eternal life (Ps. 91:15-16)” (409).
What does this mean for my family and yours? It means that we walk by faith, trusting the Lord is at work. We stay up-to-date with the news and the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We wash our hands. We isolate if we show worrisome symptoms. We apply wisdom and refuse to succumb to fear. We dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Works cited:
Beeke Joel R. et al., editors. Family Worship Bible Guide. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2016.