Greetings! Shalom. I want to write this short letter to encourage you because we can’t meet in church.
I am concerned about your spiritual well-being. I am concerned about how you can be spiritually nourished with all the church activities that you used to have, have now been interrupted.
I want you to know even though we cannot meet each other in person. I am praying for you. I am praying for you and your family’s safety. You can be assured of that.
Please allow me to share with you this short devotion from Psalm 91. It is believed that Psalm 91 was written by Moses. It is also the most quoted Psalm in this season. I don’t think Moses knew what he wrote would be useful to us after thousands of years.
If I am to explain Psalm 91 in one sentence, it would be this, “The only safety and security you can find in the world is in God”. Psalm 91 started with a qualifying statement – whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
You can also say that whoever does not dwell in the shelter of the Most High will not find rest. The action that qualifies us for the promises that Moses mentioned in this Psalm 91 is “to dwell in God” or “to seek His presence”.
When we seek God’s presence more than we seek anything else in this world, we will be under the God’s protection. Examples that Moses gave were… saved from the Fowler’s snare (enemy’s trap) and from the deadly pestilences (like the Covid-19). You will not fear. No harm will overtake you… etc.
Right at the beginning of the middle section of this Psalm in verse 9, Moses repeated the same truth. God will become your refuge if you make Him your dwelling. This is the nutshell of what Psalm 91 is saying. There is a condition to it. We cannot live our lives carelessly, exposing ourselves to evil activities in the world and claim the protection of God. But we will be truly safe and sound if we continue to live in God’s presence after we have said the sinners’ prayer.
The good that we can let Covid-19 does to us is to motivate us to continually dwell in God’s presence. Take this opportunity to sing to God, talk to God and read God’s word extendedly at home by yourself or with your family. In this way you are dwelling in God. Your focus will be on God not on the happenings around you.
The Covid-19 is a deadly threat. But fear is a deadlier threat. Fear causes stress. Stress can bring all kinds of sickness. If people continue to give in to fear and anxiety, it is quite certain that more people will die from stress than from Covid-19.
I want to end this letter with this benediction. May the peace and grace of Jesus be upon you. May He cover you under His wings and keep you safe as you dwell in His holy presence.
Elder Alvin