COVID-19 Novel Encouragement Sample

Trust

“When I fear, I trust you. God, whose word I praise, God I trust; I do not fear. What can mere flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4

One thing that I have always struggled with is allowing other people to do things for me. I could never trust that they would perform the task as I would have, and I would be compelled to redo whatever I asked them to do. I always reminded others of their responsibilities ahead of time, so that they would not forget what they had promised.

In other words, I did not trust anyone other than myself!

Yet, I am fallible. I make and have made, erroneous judgment calls. I have placed my trust in the wrong people, things, events, and organizations. This is a surefire way of being disappointed.

This went as far as not trusting that God will come through on His promises. I have always had an escape plan, a backup plan, in case God failed!

Well, since the start of this year, God has indeed prepared me to place my trust in Him fully and unconditionally. I quit my job, cutting my family’s income in half. I committed to ministry, and my wife and I invited her sister and her family over so that they could pursue careers here in Beijing. That’s a start, right?

A start is exactly what David had when he wrote Psalm 56. He was the anointed king of Israel, yet Saul was still on the throne. Not only did Saul wish him dead, but he had been fighting against the Philistines. When David wrote Psalm 56, he had been caught by Israel’s bitter enemies and was facing almost certain death. Yet, he did not waver in his trust in God, he did not fear his future, nor did he fall into a depression. All because he knew in his heart that God was with him and that God is to be trusted wholeheartedly.

Back to my story. My wife’s family arrived as China went into lockdown because of Covid-19. Not only did I no longer have a source of income, but my wife’s income was slashed to the point that it was almost non-existent. We have 11 mouths to feed, rent to pay, and visa expenses, just to name a couple of things. Under normal circumstances, I would be freaking out by now. I would be looking at different ways that I could ensure that we still have money coming in. (In all honesty, there are still some times that I do fret about it!)

However, since all of this happened, I have been filled with the most unusual peaceful knowledge. I just knew that God would provide, that He already has a plan for us all, and that He will not fail us. It was not intellectual knowledge, but rather a ‘gut-feel’. I just knew, like David, that I could place my trust in God, that He is our Jehovah-Jirah.

And how has God provided! First, my wife managed to obtain a temporary online job, supplementing her salary. Then the government decided to automatically extend all foreign visas by two months and all my wife’s family’s documents were processed on time. Earlier, when my wife’s sister made the decision to come over, God faithfully provided the finances at the right time, and in just the right amount too!

Like David, I realized, and keep learning day by day, that when we place all our trust in God and surrender everything that we have and are to Him (Romans 12:1-2), He will work His plan for our lives and ensure that we are provided for in whatever we need. We “will not lack for anything” (Psalm 23:1b).

Prayer:

Father, I thank you for Your faithfulness to us. You provide that which we need, and You have done so in Your time. Thank you for teaching me how to trust You, to surrender my all to You. I pray that You will take hold of all Your children and bring peace to them, teach them through Your Word how to lay their trust in You.

By James E. Botha