Hope in the Pandemic

    During a season of extreme difficulty and hopelessness God led me to Psalm 27. I do not remember the exact moment, or exact circumstances into which God spoke this truth, but this passage has made a profound change in my outlook during difficulty. God used His words in Psalm 27 to deliver me from a deep pit of depression and despair, brought on by an immense feeling of worthlessness and doom. Since then, He has brought these few verses back to mind time and time again, to remind me of the great need during dark times - hope. I had lost hope. I fell victim to the enemy’s lie that all was lost, I had forfeited any claim on the benevolence of God, and my life would be nothing more than a display of failure. But as He does when we listen, the Lord overcame lies with truth and brought hope into my broken world. 

    COVID-19 has reached the shores of the United States. As I write this, the state in which I live has issued a shelter in place mandate. We are not quarantined at the moment, but for the first time in my life, a health crisis has forced the local and state governments to close businesses and restrict public gatherings. Much worse, across the ocean in Italy and Spain, thousands are losing loved ones, bodies being hauled away in military transports. Here, the death toll is relatively low (but immensely high if your family member is among those lost to the virus). However, hospitals are feeling the effects. I saw a picture of one hospital setting up treatment beds in the parking garage, preparing for the onslaught of patients. These images can easily elicit fear and panic. While anyone potentially affected by the virus should be concerned, I want to caution you against the demon I have faced time again - despair. 

    As a child of God you can choose hope! This Psalm is a demonstration of choosing hope. If you read through the fourteen verses you will discover David continually choosing hope, when he could have chosen despair. Take note of David’s circumstances.  Evil doers assailed him. (v. 2) Those seeking to perpetuate evil against him were actively seeking to carry out the harm they designed. An army had encamped against him, war was being threatened. (v. 3) His father and mother had forsaken him (v. 10) False witnesses had risen against him, breathing violence, seeking to do harm. (v. 12) David was surrounded by enemies, and difficult circumstances. All of which gave opportunity to despair. David’s circumstances were real, not imagined. 

    The threat of COVID-19 is real. People are getting sick. People are losing jobs. People are losing life and loved ones. I do not want to dismiss the situation we face by saying, “This isn’t as bad as the media makes it out to be. Just give it a couple of weeks, we will be fine. Besides, the ______ (insert flu, car wrecks, accidents.etc.) kills more people than COVID-19.” Nor do I want to run around in Chicken Little fashion, declaring the end of the world as the proverbial nut on my head is mistaken for a piece of the sky. I want to be real. For most who read this, COVID-19 poses a real threat in some way or another. The threat might be health related, financial, or a threat to those you love, but lurking in the shadows of the news casts and Facebook posts, is danger in some form or another. Your temptation, just like David, is to fall into despair. 

    The last two verses in this Psalm demonstrate the posture you and I can take as children of God - convinced hope. David said, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for  the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (vv. 13-14) David’s hope was not based on wishful thinking, he was convinced. In the Bible “believe” is more than choosing one truth above another. The word “believe” expresses a convinced heart, willing to place stock and even risk in that which God has convinced them of. It was this confidence in God that compelled David to face the threat of death as he walked onto the field of battle against Goliath. He was convinced God, who had previously delivered him from a lion and bear, would deliver him from the Philistine giant. Be convinced by God’s Word that He will be present in your life, and be re-convinced as you look back on the previous difficulties that you faced. God shows us in the Scripture how powerful He is, and that His power is manifested in the lives of His children. I will go out on a limb, God has delivered you from threats before. Which shows you He can, now believe that He will. 

    But David is convinced of more than survival. He is convinced he will personally experience the goodness of God. He says, “I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord.” God’s goodness is the active love of God in your life, showered upon you because you are His child. It comes from His nature, is proactive rather than reactive. Reflected in the song, Reckless Love, when the writer, Cory Asbury, said, “I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it…” This goodness manifests itself in various ways - forgiveness, care, deliverance, even discipline. In every case though, it is an expression of God’s perfect nature and commitment to love and care for His children. As a child of God, you will see His goodness! His goodness will manifest differently for you than for me. Maybe the goodness from COVID-19 will be God keeping you safe and healthy. It could be His goodness will manifest in financially sustaining your family. There are husbands and wives spending more time together these next couple of weeks than they have in years. God could be saving marriages, or even giving someone a baby. In any case you can choose to believe you will see His goodness, not from wishful thinking, but from the evidence in Scripture. 

    In typical American fashion we say, “OK, God. Give me some of that goodness, and can it be right now?” But David understands God’s timing is perfect, which means goodness does not always manifest in our time frame. So, David responds by doing that which we do so poorly - waiting. During this time of waiting though, we can wait well by being strong and courageous. Our strength and courage are not mustered up from our own being, but based on that which has already been promised, God’s goodness. In the face of danger, you can be courageous because you are convinced that whatever happens will be an expression of God’s goodness. For many, if not most, the worst part of the COVID-19 crisis is a cluelessness of the future. No one, except God, really knows what will happen. But you can be courageous, as His child, if you are convinced that whatever happens will be an eventual expression of His goodness. 

    What if you are reading this, and happen to be one of those who have experienced tragedy from the virus? First, let me say I am sorry. I am sorry that you are going through, what might be the most difficult situation of your life, in no way would I want to dismiss your pain, or give you a salving quote of Romans 8:28. But I hope you will allow me to encourage you through these verses as well. After reading this passage, from personal pain as well, I began to pray for God to give me glimpses of His goodness. One night I took my kids to the movies. One evening I had Thai takeout with my wife. These were not monumental moves of the Lord, but glimpses that He still brings goodness into my life, despite difficulty. And a daily reminder of His presence is a continual glimpse of His goodness. So you too will experience His goodness, be strong and courageous during this difficult time. 

    Be convinced you will see His goodness. On closing note, the morning I read this Psalm, I wrote it on a note card, and carried it with me all day. When I got home that evening I attached it to the mirror in my bathroom. I read it everyday, even though I can quote it from memory. On more than one occasion, quoting this verse has been the one thing that got me through the day with my sanity. Know all of God’s Word, is for all of His children. So be strong, be courageous,and be convinced that you too will see the goodness of God.