To Have God as a refuge.

Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing...The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry...the righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles...The Lord redeems His servants, no on will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.  (Psalm 34) 

Thoughts: This is a great Psalm.  It is a reminder that sometimes the wicked seem like they are getting away with injustice and evil.  But God watches and rescues His servants even if they are afflicted.  It is not a la la land Psalm that say the righteous will never suffer.  But it acknowledges suffering of those who love God, but still says God redeems them.  How so?  God is the judge of all the earth.  There is peace in doing what we know is right- right here.  God also is able to bless His people with peace, hope, and grace right now.  God is our refuge- meaning we can always go back to Him for healing and strength.  He is our home base- our safe place. 
     Almost fifteen years ago my wife was diagnosed with leukemia.  She had a 90% chance of dying within three months because her white blood count was so high.  But she has survived and seen two of our children get married and five grandchildren be born and our youngest get engaged.  Today there are so many people playing chances with this coronavirus.  I remember hearing the governor of California say in March that maybe 50 million Californians would get the virus.  Some have bemoaned that it will never go away.  We do not, as John Piper says, live by probabilities or chance. We are people who believe in miracles- like the existence of God, the healing power of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Such things defy all probability. 
    The question remains have we mitigated the virus?  Two days ago Dr. Brix said that the numbers were going down in most of the states.  CDC says the number of deaths have gone down by 5% in just one week.  The number of hospitalizations have declined, the number of ER visits for Covid19 has decreased sharply and the number of deaths have declined nationally.  In my state, SC, the number of infections peaked April 10-16 with two days hitting over 270 but now it is close to 150 new infections despite much more testing.  Of 77,000 tests performed on people with symptoms of covid19 roughly 1/10 or 7,000 cases returned positive.  To say there is no reason to be hopeful now would be to fly in the face of statistics.  It appears that this virus, like the flu, does not like our South Carolina humidity and heat.  But also to say that no more precautions need to be taken would also be unwise.  To be paralyzed in the face of a fear that is diminishing is common but it is not the best way to live.  The probability of it coming back is low. 
    Christians do not have a spirit of fear (1 Tim. 1:7) because of what Psalm 34 says.  We believe we will not face condemnation, but on the contrary God redeems those who take refuge in Him.  In other words, with God we cannot lose.  Hope allows us to get out of bed; take the covers off of our heads; and get out there.   We are in a fight for our souls.  It will be lost if we are never brave.  Our economy, our education system, our church gatherings will be lost.  If we believe God is our refuge, that He watches over us, that He redeems us- we may find ourselves being a bit more brave and the ice of fear starting to thaw and crack.

Prayer: Lord, may I find you to be my refuge and strength.  Give me hope and bravery for this day. 

6/21/14- CDo not be afraid

8“But you, Israel, my servant,

Jacob, whom I have chosen,

you descendants of Abraham my friend,

9I took you from the ends of the earth,

from its farthest corners I called you.

I said, ‘You are my servant’;

I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

10So 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.

11“All who rage against you

will surely be ashamed and disgraced;

those who oppose you

will be as nothing and perish.

12Though you search for your enemies,

you will not find them.

Those who wage war against you

will be as nothing at all.

13For I am the Lord your God

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

I will help you.

14Do 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 41:8-14)

Thoughts: It would be easy to be afraid in a day in which many are falling away from faith, many are slipping into immorality, and the church itself is waffling into approving what the Bible does not approve.  It is easy to be afraid when, as the Bible says, "The foundations are being destroyed."
God is God.  He is our help, our redeemer, and our strength.  In times of trouble, God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. We do not need to be afraid, or be dismayed, or seek to escape our trouble.  Instead, we can hold onto God and trust in His deliverance and help. 

Prayer: Lord, be with me.  Calm my fears in tough times.