Isaiah 43
1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
Psalm 91
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Romans 8
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I penned this in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Now, I do not know how bad this sickness will be, but God does. I do not know how many people will get sick, or who will get sick, but God does. I do not know who will recover and who will not, but God does. I don’t know anything at all about the future except this one thing – that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
How should we respond to this difficult situation? For me, Job 1:21-22 immediately comes to mind.
20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
All of Job’s vast wealth had been suddenly removed, and all of his children died. Yet he did not turn against God as Satan was hoping but instead simply states that as God gave it to him, so God can take it away from him and blesses the name of the Lord. What a response! And when God allows Satan to smite him with boils on his entire body, and Job’s wife tells him to curse God and die, Job says this:
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Job knows that God is in control and He allows both good and evil to happen to Christians. Our response should be a realization that God created us, gave us our health and possessions, and is in perfect control over all! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
When my way seems dark and drear and the future I don’t know, My heart feels so empty as the tears unending flow. When my heart breaks with sorrow and a tempest fills my soul, This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control. Chorus: His way is perfect, His way is perfect. Though I don’t understand His wise and loving plan, His way is perfect. His way is perfect. Take my life and make a vessel purified. God makes no mistakes, His way is best. When the toils of life are come and my heart is worn with care, I faint ‘neath the burden of a cross I cannot bear. When the joy has departed from my sorrow stricken soul, This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.
Feel free to share encouragements in the comment section!
Comentarios