God’s Promise of Safety

A teeny-tiny virus that when magnified looks worse than ragweed pollen has made us cower. My county has restricted movement and assembly for twelve days now. We all hope this intentional isolation will work to curb the spread of coronavirus, and it is wisdom and prudence to stay home, stay disinfected, and keep one’s distance from others. It’s a gift we give to our neighbors and the world, to “keep our germs to ourselves,” as my mother used to say.

The great temptation we are facing these days is to go beyond prudence and sink into feelings of insecurity and —okay, paranoia.

I say “temptation,” because when prudence morphs into worry, we are in spiritual territory. If we are in a worried state, we may have lost touch with the faithfulness and goodness of God. It happens to the best of us. Martin Luther (16th century protestant reformer) came down to breakfast one morning to find his beloved wife Katerina dressed in black as if ready to go to a funeral. Luther asked her, “Who has died?” Katerina replied, “Apparently, God. The way you have been stewing in worry tells me that your Father is dead.” Ouch! She was pointing to the spiritual truth that to worry is to deny God’s power and protection.

On the other hand, we see people suffer daily and many even die. We ask, Where was God’s protection for them?

Psalm 91 [NRSV here] offers a set of promises that are quite remarkable and worth considering as we monitor our reactions to the coronavirus pandemic.

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.

The psalmist acknowledges that there are arrows and threats and dangers in his world. We have not been promised (yet) a world without locusts—as they are seeing in Africa today—or terrorists or diseases. We do still bear the weight of consequences that date back to the fall of Adam and Eve. We are not even immune to coronavirus or cancer, as I have given witness over the last several years. So what IS God promising in Psalm 91?

God is promising his trustworthiness. God is our rock-solid refuge in times of trouble and he can be trusted.

He is promising deliverance from traps (the snare). Freedom from enslavement is ours in Christ Jesus.

Yes, in verse 3 God promises deliverance from pestilence. He will cover us as a mother hen protects her chicks. The result of God’s presence is that we will not fear.

God promises that we will not be destroyed or defeated. Our lives will outlast death.

God promises that he will be with us in trouble. Jesus said, “In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

And by some mystery, because many people around the world and in history have died young, God says he will satisfy us with long life. Could this be eternal life?

As you can see, we have some elements of “now” and “not yet” in this psalm, no need denying it. Acknowledging the reality of evil and sickness and premature death, nevertheless we have hope because God says he is doing the work of deliverance, rescue, and peace within the context of our agonies and suffering. The Apostle Paul affirmed, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . .No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35-37).  Because we are loved by God, we have no need to fear. Nothing ultimately can defeat us or separate us from the love of God. If that is true, then no matter what is going on around us, the indwelling Spirit of God pronounces us “Safe!”

I’ve found that music helps to calm me when tempted to get anxious. Here’s a song I record in 1990, accompanied by Ken Medema, on my album On the Road to Eternity. The song is Michael Joncas’s “On Eagles’ Wings.” May the Lord bless you with peace as you listen!