God is with us

​We just can’t escape it, can we?! Everywhere we turn, we’re confronted by signs and reminders of the novel coronavirus, aka COVID-19, and its drastic toll on our society, economy, and our very health. 
 
At times such as this, we can either respond in fear of what the world throws at us or with faith in God to overcome this present crisis! 
 
Inspired by a YouVersion post (dated March 17, 2020), let me recall a situation where the disciples were taking a boat ride with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee, when they were hit with an unexpected squall (as recorded in Matthew 8):  
 
Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!" Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”  (Matthew 8:23-27 NLT)
 
The coming of COVID-19 is not unlike that fierce squall that swamped the disciples! The upheavals the virus has brought upon our personal lives and schedules is not unlike the waves breaking into their boat and threatening to capsize it. Perhaps, just as the disciples did, we may have cried out to Jesus in our fear and anxiety, possibly even shouted at Him, because He seems to us to be taking a snooze or has gone incognito. 
 
We learn 3 things about our God from Matthew 8:23-27: 
 
Firstly, just as Jesus was in the boat with the disciples throughout the storm, God is with us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic! He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He will be with us always to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20). 
 
Secondly, Jesus wasn’t troubled in the slightest by the storm; in fact, He remained sound asleep on the boat! Indeed, the Bible reminds us that God watches over us, and He neither sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:1). And when woken by the disciples, Jesus rebuked them for being fearful and faithless! 
 
Likewise, God isn’t bothered one bit by COVID-19, and He calls us to be fearless and faithful in the face of this crisis. Moreover, note that the Lord rebuked the disciples while the storm was still raging! Likewise, God reminds us in the midst of this pandemic, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT).   
 
Finally, Jesus stilled the wind and waves with a word. And if the forces of nature obey Him, how much more COVID-19?! Let’s continue to petition the Lord to lift the darkness. As God promised King Solomon and the people of Israel: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT). May our God hear from heaven and heal us and restore our lands from the virus! 
 
Dear Friends, let’s remember that God is with us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic! Let’s face this crisis not with fear but full of faith in the God who calms the winds and waves with a single rebuke! Let’s humble ourselves before God, let’s pray and seek His face, let’s cry out to Him to forgive our sins and heal our land!  

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