Seeking God Amidst the Pandemic – COVID 19

Seeking God Amidst the Pandemic – COVID 19

Looking around us, we see panic regarding the virus that appears to be so encroaching prevalent, fear of the unknown on many levels, and ever-creasing levels of despair and loneliness that often comes with social distancing. Yet, for those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, one thing is certain our God has never distanced Himself from us.  He continues to reveal Himself in the areas of our deepest needs.  The names I have chosen for today are Jehovah-Jireh  and Jehovah-Shalom.

Jehovah Jireh means, “The LORD will provide.” We find this name in Genesis 22, and the context is the story of God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac – the long-awaited child of promise. As Abraham and Isaac made their way up Mount Moriah, Isaac remarked that they had the wood and the fire, but no lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham assured his son that “God himself would provide the lamb.” And so it was that as Isaac lay bound to the altar and Abraham stood with his knife poised to plunge into the body of his son—his beloved – the son of promise – that his hand was stayed by the voice of God, as He told Abraham not to harm his son, because God knew that Abraham had withheld nothing from Him. There in the thicket lay a ram – a sacrifice provided by God’s own hand.  In gratitude, Abraham named the place where they were standing – Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide.  Jehovah Jireh … what a precious name!  We are coming out of what has seemed to be draconian social isolation, a time during which there was widespread sadness, depression, and economic devastation, not to mention health issues that arose due to restrictions of medical care or simply an unwillingness to seek it. Yet Jehovah-Jireh never abdicated His position or His provisions. For me personally, He provided a support network, the continuance of my job, continued provision for my health needs and His never-failing presence. One principle that I believe is tied to this name is that God is seldom early, but He is always on time.  Listen to this song and praise Jehovah Jireh with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCsH_TtZReY.

Jehovah Shalom means “The Lord our peace.”  We find this name in Judges 6:24 as God interacts with Gideon pouring into him courage and assurance that his campaign against the Midianites would be successful. Incidentally, this is only occurrence of this name in Scripture. The word “peace” occurs 429 times in the King James Version of the Bible in a variety of contexts, but the word usually means a settledness or content, most probably related to the idea that God is in control.   Some of the most notable references are Isaiah 26:3, where we are assured of peace as long as our minds are fixed on the Lord – mediating on both His attributes and His acts on our behalf.  Also, notable is the verse John 14:27, where Jesus promises peace to those who love and follow Him. Peace is a highly valued commodity in today’s world. Everywhere we turn there are situations that negate the peace that we so deeply crave. In recent weeks, our peace has been disrupted by an ever-present media clamoring for our attention. Daily statistics related to COVID-19 are shared, conspiracy theories abound; opinions regarding best practices are ever changing and thrust upon us, and none of these inspire peace. Instead, it is quite the opposite. It is time that we allowed Jehovah-Shalom to give the peace that only He affords. I am purposing to step away from the most social media posts, many news outlets, and obsession over circumstances that may inspire worry and find peace in God’s presence and promises – allowing Jehovah-Shalom to be the umpire of my heart.

Seeking God Amidst Covid-19 … Part 1

At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and the “Stay at home” mandate, I made a practice of reading Psalm 91 each day in a variety of translations and paraphrases. . There were days that I prayed this Psalm;  there were days when I would loosely quote  it with the help of  my Scripture memory app. I still turn to it to remind myself that God is the source of my protection. I also follow the suggestions of the health community as best I understand and am able to do so.

In recent days, I have found myself meditating on the names of God, because they are rich with assurance and comfort.  Today, I’ll share several with you that have special meaning to me.

Adonai-Jehovah is defined by some as “The Lord our Sovereign.” Too often we shy away from    thinking about the Sovereignty of God. To many people it speaks of control or being at the          whim of a capricious ruler.  However, our God is not capricious; he remains unchanging as do His  promises. Sovereign also denotes kingship or one who rules. God rules in the lives of His people, and God rules in the events that touch their lives. We are living in times that engender  fear and uncertainty, often fueled by the media, popular opinions, conspiracy theories, and our own tendencies to cave under uncertainty.  In the midst of the COVID-19 situation, others have faced situations that are only compounded by this unprecedented crisis. Yet, we are in the hands of Adonai-Jehovah, who sees and superintends the  events raging around us. One day, he will say –“This far, but no farther.”  Until then, he bids us trust His heart, knowing that it ever guides His hand.

 El-Roi is defined as the “God who sees.” Nothing escapes Him.  When I was a child, I learned and sang the song, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see … For the Father up above is looking down in love…” We went on to sing about our ears, our tongue, our hands, and our feet as the conclusion of the song reminded me that God was watching. To be honest, the song really creeped me out. I imagined God as a celestial spy waiting for me to mess up so that He could squash me.  I totally missed the  concept that He was watching me “in love.”  God still watches us in love. Yes, he is weighing our actions, words, and attitudes, but more importantly, He is watching with eyes of care. We need not worry, because God is patrolling the events that touch our lives; He is our garrison from harm. Somethings may hurt us temporarily, but for those who belong to Him through faith in Jesus, nothing can eternally harm them. The God who sees, will measure carefully the events, good and bad that touch the lives of His children.  They are never beyond the scope of His watchful care.

Jehovah-Mekaddishkem  is defined in Exodus 31:13 as “the LORD who sanctifies.” The idea conveyed by the word  “sanctify” is that of being set apart for use by God. It is also tied to concept of being made more like Jesus. Note that it is His work, and not ours. The  immediate context of this name is the instruction of God related to Sabbaths – a time when the Israelites ceased from their work and rested in God’s presence.  These current circumstances of isolation may well be an instrument that God is using to teach us to rest and to allow Him to work in our lives.  This sanctifying work of God may lead us through deep waters, through circumstances that are less than desirable, through circumstances that are painful, and through circumstances that may provoke fear. Yet, in all of these vicissitudes of life, He is working to make the positional righteousness that is ours through Christ more evident to a watching world. The promise of Romans 8:28 is expounded upon in Romans 8:29 – the good through which God is working in our lives is that of being conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. Is there any greater good in which we can put our hope?