“Coronavirus Concerns”
March 29, 2020
Psalm 91:1-7
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
I decided to go with the same Scripture I used last week. It is a wonderful promise of God to His people. It is to a people who have made God their refuge; their fortress; the One in who they trust. I will talk more about this later.
Right now I want to express some concerns that have come up since we have experience this pandemic or plague of the Coronavirus. I’m sure people have hundreds of them but I want to mention three that really concern me. The first is the self-isolation. People call it self-quarantine. One called for a national lock-down. I understand the concerns behind it and why our government and medical leaders are calling for it. Spiritually speaking, I see the danger behind it. The Bible says,
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.” John 10:11-12
Do you see the principle here? The Good Shepherd protects the sheep. He lays His life down for the sheep. A good shepherd herds the sheep and leads them. The enemy scatters the sheep. He isolates them. Why? They are more vulnerable. They are easy prey when alone. The Bible says,
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body” Romans 12:4-5
“there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:25-26
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13
Do you understand that God is striving to take selfish, lone wolf, isolationist people and make them one; a body; a team; a unit? What this pandemic is doing is isolating us and preventing us from benefiting from one another using the gifts He has given us. I know that churches all over the nation are using skype and facetime all kinds of media to try to stay connected – but can they really? I don’t think so. It is not the same.
Not only is this isolation from others preventing us to be the Church God wants us to be but we are making ourselves vulnerable. I am concerned for the young Christians that need that daily nurturing. I am concerned for those going through personal spiritual trials. We are to encourage and comfort one another and I’m afraid online, email and Facebook just are not enough. We need to look one another in the eyes and feel each other’s touch and share our needs and blessings with one another. I know that God can use this; God can use all things for good. He is just that great – but I do not thing this wide spread quarantine is His will. He smacks of fear and rather than love and courage.
I remember hearing of missionaries, against all odds, going to diseased grottos and barrios and swampy jungles, in faith – willing to sacrifice their lives in service to others. I don’t see any of that today. I see a self-preservation mentality of the world and the church following the wisdom of the world instead of claiming the promises of God.
That brings me to the second concern I want to share with you. You that know me know that I am a lover of Westerns; I have a love for American History and in particular the early American history of the west. You have probably seen some of the old classics where the cowboys round up wild horses or even cattle for that matter. How do they do it? They separate and isolate and cut that animal from the herd. It is then vulnerable and can be easily herded or roped to be branded or driven to where the cowboy desires. Maybe to slaughter or to the corral – wherever he wants. The animal loses his freedom when he is isolated.
I fear for the same thing all over the world – but especially in America – the home of the brave and land of the free. Do you realize how many freedoms we are losing because of this plague? People merely suspected of being in contact with the virus literally lose their freedom. Hundreds are in forced lockdown. Hundreds are held against their will. I can accept that for the good of society but so many have lost jobs and incomes. Some may never recover in spite of the government’s efforts to boaster the economy. If you had told me a few months ago that the government would force business, including cafés restaurants, bars and beer joints and even churches and Houses of Worship of all kinds to close down - I would have thought you were nuts! That would NEVER happen. Yet here we are. And the government is like those army dogs I used to train – once they grab ahold they don’t let go. They just grab and pull and get a little more and a little more – until they have you by the throat. I see some of that happening before our very eyes. We better wake up before it is too late.
Lastly, I am concerned for Christians that act as if they don’t believe the Bible. Jesus said,
“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8
“When the Son of Man comes – will he find faith on the earth?”
That’s a good question. Here’s a couple more. Is the Bible true? Can we take the promises of the Bible for ourselves? Does the Bible still speak to us today? We read Scriptures like, Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:28 and 1 Peter 5:4, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”; and “God will work all things out for our good” and “When Christ returns we will receive a crown of glory” and even John 3:16, “if we believe in Him we will receive eternal life”.
Yes! We believe! Yes! Those Scriptures are for me – personally! But how about these?
Psalm 91:1-7
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
“I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 41:9-14
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:11-12
Do you believe? Can we take these Scriptures for our very own? Can we trust God to protect us and shield us even from this virus? Most Christians don’t act like it. Most people trust the word of man more than they do the Word of God. When Christ returns – will He find faith on the earth? I used to think, “Pssst – of course He will. Somebody will have faith. LOTS of people will have faith!”
I’m not so sure now. So many are follow fear rather than faith. So many are putting their trust in man instead of God. And if you haven’t committed your way completely to God – you probably better do that. Promises are for those who have committed themselves to God; who have taken refuge in Him; who have made Him Lord. But if you have done that – you have nothing to fear.
I want you to take inventory of your faith this morning. I want to encourage you to have a time of introspection this week of your relationship with Jesus. Is He Lord? Have you made Him Lord of your life and you are His servant? If not, I would encourage you to do so. Job had a hedge of protection around him – do you? Elijah was surrounded by angels in chariots of fire. Are we? God allowed Satan to go only so far in Paul’s life and no further. Will He do the same for you?
I don’t know. I don’t know about you – but I am going to do those common sense things; a healthy distance from others; wash hands often; isolate myself if I become sick. Those are good things to do. But don’t lose faith in God. Don’t lose hope. Things ARE going to get better. But in the meantime – walk in faith – not fear. Believe God’s Word. Claim those promises for yourself. It may be necessary to renew your commitment and devotion to the Lord; you may have to dive into the Word like never before to find God’s promises; you may have to spend more time on your knees in prayer to hear God’s assurances – but you will. God is still on the throne and God still loves you.
