COVID-19 Novel Encouragement Sample

Promise and Perspective

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place--the Most High, who is my refuge--no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91 (ESV)

When news of the new Coronavirus started coming out, I saw people talking about Psalm 91. I confess that even though I am a pastor and love the Psalms, I did not immediately remember Psalm 91. When I looked it up, I saw immediately why so many were finding comfort in it.

One of the problems in life Psalm 91 mentions is pestilence (or deadly disease depending on your translation), and the psalm promises that it will not come near you. If you trust in the Lord and make Him your dwelling place, you don’t need to worry because no evil will befall you. That is wonderful news especially for those of us living in China right now.  

But does this mean that nothing bad will ever happen to someone who has faith in God? Should we assume that people who get sick must not have been trusting in the Lord? Certainly not!

Job was a blameless and upright man, who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:8) and yet Job suffered disaster and sickness. John 9 tells the story of a man born blind, and the disciples assumed that his blindness must have been the result of either his sin or his parents’, but Jesus said: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). The ultimate example is, of course, Jesus Himself, who did no wrong and yet suffered, leaving us an example to follow according to 1 Peter 2:21.

How then can we receive the beautiful promises of Psalm 91, while holding the Biblical reality of suffering that exists in the world, and that followers of Christ are not exempt from it?

We need to see with God’s perspective. We have indeed been rescued from the ultimate snare and the most wretched pestilence: sin. Sin is the cancer of creation that is behind every evil, disease, and injustice in the world. Jesus has defeated and destroyed it, and everyone who comes to Him is liberated from its hold.

When facing uncertain situations, like the one involving this virus, our attitude should be the same as the three Hebrews in Babylon facing the threat of death: Our God is able to deliver us, and He will deliver us… and even if He doesn’t we will worship only Him (Daniel 3:17-18). We say this because we know that He has already overcome the ultimate enemy, and no matter what happens to us here and now we have the sure promise of His presence and of resurrection life both now and for all eternity.

We need to carefully note not only the promises of this Psalm but the actions associated with the one to whom the promises apply:

-The one who dwells in the shelter of the Most high

-The one who holds fast to God in love.

-The one who knows the name of God.

Let's resolve in our heart to be that kind of person, fixing our eyes on our Savior and not our circumstance.

When we read the news and the latest statistics, we need to constantly evaluate the state of our mind and heart: are we abiding in God or something else? If we draw close to The Lord in the way Psalm 91 describes, we will be far more impressed with the goodness and power of God than the threat of any virus.

As I read Psalm 91, I was overcome with a desire to sing it, so I grabbed my guitar and started to put the words to music. I want to share that simple melody with each of you, and I pray it blesses and encourages you as you abide in Him.

Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, for fixing my eyes on my circumstances, and not on you. Teach me to find my joy and delight in you alone! Help me to live like your word says - in the shelter of the Most High. There, and there only, am I truly safe.

By Pastor Ben Whitmore, Beijing