Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic

Where to Find Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic

But the LORD is in his holy Temple;

The LORD still rules from heaven.

He watches everyone closely,

Examining every person on earth.

Psalm 11:4 (NLT)

If you had told me a year ago that our country would be shut down and most of the nation would be in ‘quarantine,’ I wouldn’t have believed you. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? We can land a man on the moon, we can talk to family and friends on the other side of the world, we can transplant organs, yet we can’t fight a virus. At least, not yet.

This coronavirus took us all by surprise, didn’t it? We never expected the United States to be locked down or have millions of Americans without jobs and without food to feed their kids. It almost reads like a science-fiction novel. Unfortunately, it’s our present reality.

When David penned Psalm 11, his world was also falling apart. A fugitive and wanted by an unstable king, David was constantly on the run. He had no roof over his head, food was in short supply, and his life hung in the balance. The Message translates verse 3, “the bottom’s dropped out of the country; good people don’t have a chance.” Sound like our current situation?

But David knew where to find peace when the bottom drops out. Verse one says, “I’ve already run for dear life straight to the arms of God” (The Message). David knew that God was in charge of the situation and his calamity didn’t take God by surprise. David understood that his safety rested, not on where he could hide, but in whom he could trust. Instead of running to the hills, David ran straight into his Father’s arms.

This pandemic hasn’t taken God by surprise either. He hasn’t fallen asleep or taken a vacation. He’s still in charge, watching over us. And we have His promise that we will never have to go it alone.