1 Peter 1:6-9 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I remind you of Moses’ guidance to the Israelites when they were enduring pain as they were pursued by the Egyptians on the way to the Promised Land. As the Pharaoh and Egyptians marched toward them, the Israelites cried to Moses, “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”
Exodus 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
As I read the Israelites frenzy, I am reminded how prone we humans are to not trust in the Lord in stressful times. We see evidence of how God will protect us as He protected them, parting the Red Sea and saving the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. In response, Exodus 14:31 confirmed that the Israelites responded by fearing the Lord and put their trust in Him.
Jeremiah offers an excellent encouragement for us to trust in Him.
Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.”
My trials have grown my faith in the Lord. I trust in Him to protect all of those who I love, and I will be dedicated to praying for the health and well-being of the people of our world and especially for my sweet family in life, at Cornerstone, in DivorceCare, and at Lafayette. While that protection may not keep everyone on this planet, I pray that it will take those we lose to Heaven to worship God and that someday I will be forgiven by the Lord for my sinfulness and will join them there.
COVID-19 has isolated many of us from our dear friends. I want to close this post by encouraging all of you to remember that even though we are alone, we are NOT alone. God is with us! That is confirmed by Him in many locations in the Bible.
Dear Heavenly Father. I plead with you to protect those I love from this devastating health crisis that has overwhelmed our planet. I trust in you and have faith that you will protect us during this devastating time. Amen.
P.S. A great theme song for this trying time is Steven Curtis Chapman’s tune This Day, which can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnlzUSP0w_c Just press “Skip Ads” and you can hear it right away!
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