MOST OF US HAVE LIVED through what we consider hard times, but nothing like what we’ve seen with the coronavirus! What can help us when we feel concerned?
MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE
The Bible has many promises of God’s presence. One of the most well-known is Psalm 91. When I was a child, my parents helped me memorize this chapter. We took one verse each day and added more each day.
I heard a story that illustrates verse 4. A fire swept through a farmer’s barnyard, burning everything in its wake. When the farmer walked around to survey the damage, he came across a “clump” on the ground. He kicked it with his toe, and out from underneath scurried half a dozen chicks. The mama hen had gathered her babies to herself and protected them with her feathers and wings. The hen herself perished, but her babies were safe.
That’s what Jesus does for us. Psalm 46:1 and Joshua 1:9 promise that God is a present help, not some faraway being.
SING SONGS
Psalm 32:7 speaks of Jesus as our “hiding place” giving us “songs of deliverance.” Singing can have a tremendous influence on our feelings. Many find joy in modern worship songs, but there are also hymns that have stood the test of time and are very comforting. Here are some from the SDA hymnal; sing them or read them and reflect
on the words: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “Be Still, My Soul,” “It Is Well With My Soul,” “Peace, Perfect Peace,” “Wonderful Peace.”
REST IN JESUS
Some feel the coronavirus could be one of the pestilences mentioned in the Bible as a sign of the Second Coming. The dictionary tells us that a pestilence is a deadly, overwhelming, highly contagious disease, which is a perfect description of the coronavirus. And if it is a foretelling of the coming of Jesus, praise the Lord!
Back to Psalm 91: Verses 4-10 tell us how we can be protected from all those evils. Verse 9 says it’s because we have made the Lord our habitation. Dwelling constantly in Jesus is the secret.
WATCH FOR MIRACLES
Some Christians were fleeing from the authorities because of their faith in Jesus. They ran as fast as they could through mountainous areas, but soldiers were gaining on them. They came upon a cave and thought of hiding, but surely the authorities would look for them there. Without other options, though, they entered and crouched down. Then they saw a spider start spinning a web across the mouth of the cave. As it worked, it created an elaborate web completely across the opening.
When the soldiers came to the cave, they went on, commenting, “If they went in there, they certainly would have broken that spider web.” God used a spider web to save His people. God can use anything, weak or strong, to protect us! Remember, with Jesus we are safe anywhere; without Jesus we are not safe anywhere.
