August 14
Job 6-7
Psalm 91:1-8
Proverbs 20:14-15
2 Corinthians 4
Shelter
“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.”
Psalm 91: 1-7 NIV
In the aftermath of 2020, these verses may seem unrealistic at best and a lie at worst. Before the global pandemic, we could read these verses and feel comforted and even a bit arrogant. Pestilence, plague, and death may affect other people, but surely it won’t come near me. Christians are protected from bad things, right? I know this is a bit simplistic, but that seems to be what this passage suggests. It sounds like a nice sentiment, but it just doesn’t work that way in real life. Covid didn’t discriminate based on religious affiliation. We all know Christians and non-Christians who died because of complications from Covid. So, what exactly do these verses mean? We believe that every verse in the Bible is true, so this verse must be true, but experience tells us that death is an inevitable part of life. At some point, unless the rapture happens first, we are all going to die.
This passage is a powerful antidote to fear. Yesterday we talked about how our lives reflect our testimony. The life of the believer should not be characterized by fear. 2020 revealed a lot about us. Some of it was good, but a lot of what it revealed was disturbing. I watched many believers and unbelievers paralyzed by fear. I’m not talking about a reasonable, healthy caution that led to taking appropriate steps to protect themselves and others. I am talking about a fear that resulted in complete isolation, anxiety, and paranoia. Please do not take this as a political statement. It is not intended to be that at all. As believers we are not protected from every illness, injury, disease, or tragedy. We live in a fallen world that has pestilence and plague and we are not immune. But we do not approach the tragedies and difficulties in this life in the same way that someone who does not know our Savior does. We do not have to fear pestilence and plague, not because we are immune to them, but because we know that nothing has the power to destroy us. We may contract a plague and we may die as a result, but even if that happens, we know our destiny. We know that we have a secure future. Verse 4 makes me think of an eagle protecting its baby birds. Its nest is high up in a tree. When the storm comes, the mama eagle can’t take her babies inside to protect them. So, she gets them snuggled down in the safety of the nest she has built for them. And then she spreads her wings over them. The storm rages and the winds blow. The rain is pelting her back, but her babies are dry and safe under her. They are not worried or afraid because they know that their mama is going to take care of them. We can experience that same protection and peace because we know that we are secure. God is going to take care of us. He will not leave us. He will not remove His wings from over us until the storm is over. We are not promised a life with no difficulty, pain, or death, but we are promised the security of God’s presence and protection as we face the difficulties this life holds.
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