“This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.” Psa 56:9-11 ESV
King David wrote this after being captured by the Philistines. His life was literally at stake as his enemies had him imprisoned. This song confidently declares David’s trust and that he “shall not be afraid.” But it is a song written out of the very real struggle David was going through as he was being tempted to fear, and experiencing a time when his enemies were triumphing over him. This song was a song of faith in what God would do, based on David’s experience of what God had done in the past. But the song was written during a time of testing, when it didn’t appear as though everything would work out.
Right now the world is experiencing a level of fear I haven’t seen since the terrible acts of 9/11. In fact, I think the fear being generated by the coronavirus is even greater. The virus is an invisible enemy that is spreading worldwide at an alarming rate.
People are reacting to the feeling of being powerless by buying up toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and random other items. Psychologists call this “retail therapy.” It is the attempt of maintaining a feeling of control by doing something that might help. But the reality is much of life is lived in times of being out of control. Like David we must put our trust in God. We must settle our heart and confess boldly “This I know, that God is for me!” It is in times like this that our confidence in God must rise to the surface. When we read God’s word and sing songs of praise it is meant to build up our faith for the times when we face real threats.
Regardless of the severity of this illness, this pandemic will affect everyone. The financial impact will be massive. Although it seems as though the majority of people will not suffer seriously from the infections, those at risk, such as the elderly or those with other complications may suffer long term or even face death. For the rest of us we will have to endure many months of other forms of suffering as the economic impact causes rippling effects and the limitations enforced by the government cause our daily lives to be restructured. This is far different than the situation in which King David found himself. His enemies were very visible and the threat of injury or death very tangible. But the overall situation is the same. We face the enemies of disease and economic crisis, and the fear that is imprisoning so many worldwide. What is also the same: the God in whom David put his trust is available to you and me. We read His word and sing His praise, now we must trust Him and know that, “God is for me… I shall not be afraid.”