Since the Coronavirus got into the country, my family has been about as safe as we could possibly be. We’ve worn masks everywhere we go, and we only go necessary places. I myself have been exactly three places since this started. Mom and Dad’s house, the grocery store (mask and gloves at all times), and church (held outdoors, masks on, six foot distance). And for months, I’ve only touched Mom and Dad. Most the people I know are nowhere near as careful. But none of them got Corona. I did. Apparently from Mom, who has been the most careful person I know.
When I was a kid and my Mom got cancer, she was told about all these things she should have been doing to prevent it, like juicing and whatnot, and it terrified people to hear she had in fact been juicing and whatnot for years. Because we trust in external measures to keep us safe from the unknown. But no matter what measures we take (and I’m not saying we shouldn’t), you CAN’T TRUST ANY OF THOSE THINGS. There is only one thing worth trusting in.
David says in Psalm 20:7 NIV, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” So my question is, what chariots and horses am I trusting in? What external measure of strength or safety am I clinging to as comfort for my soul?–oh, soul, don’t you worry. Our little mountain town has been so isolated and safe.
Jesus doesn’t promise health. Or safety. Or long life. He promises eternal life. He promises heaven, freedom from sin, and He offers peace whether the storm abates or not, whether the war ends or doesn’t. So am I comforted by the delusion that nothing bad can happen as long as I have my chariots and horses? Or am I comforted by the name of the Lord my God when the worst happens?
I ask myself, how did this happen? We’ve been so careful. And the answer is as plain as the nose on your face: God is in control. And just as nothing could prevent this disease from finding me when God determined it for my life, nothing will snatch me out of the hands of God who determined everything about my life. His plans stand, and that is better than any number of chariots and horses.