Psalms 20:6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (ESV)
Whether it is Coronavirus or some other circumstance that is causing distress in our lives, it is important to remember to keep our focus on God in Christ. Many of us will be disrupted by Coronavirus for months to come. Parents with school-age children will struggle to find child care. Poorer children who won’t have access to free lunches from schools will wonder where their meals will come from. Businesses will see a decline in revenue and some will lose their jobs. Retirement accounts will be worth much less than they were. Many of us will no longer be able to join our community in-person every Sunday morning because those services will be canceled. Travel plans will be canceled. We will be wary of going to public places if our community has confirmed cases of infection. A few will get sick and a few will die.
And yet, in the midst of all this we know that God hears our prayers for our needs. He will act; he may not prevent all suffering we want to avoid but he is with us and he can bring good out of bad. Remember his promises and how he has acted in the past. Remember that he can use this time to Christform us which brings us closer to our destiny. We can be a light and encouragement to others.
Thus, our ultimate trust is not in the “chariots” of this world but rather in God who hears us and will act. He is with us and offers us peace (Phil. 4:6) if we focus on, and trust, in him. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, NIV).
