Isolated but Not Forsaken

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Psalm 94

Psalm 94:14-15

    For the Lord will not forsake his people;
    he will not abandon his heritage;
¹⁵ for justice will return to the righteous,
    and all the upright in heart will follow it.

(ESV)

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and the first Easter in the history of the United States where most churches have shut down and are unable to have regular Easter services.  However, many churches will be having services online and I encourage everyone to invite others, especially those that do not know Jesus as their savior, inviting them to attend by sending them the link via social media, email, or text to the online service.  There are also great faith-based movies like the classics Ben Hur, The Robe, and The Greatest Story Ever Told.  There is also the Passion of the Christ although it may not be appropriate for younger audiences.  Another great movie is The Gospel of Luke which portrays the life and ministry of Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke.  While these are Hollywood productions, they do provide a visual image of what Jesus did for us on Easter and take our focus off the current coronavirus crisis and back on God. 

The main theme of Psalm 94 is Psalm 94:14, a promise God will not abandon His people.  This would have been an easy statement for the psalmist to make had it occurred during a time when things were going well, but as the previous verses tell us (Psalm 94:1-7), the psalmist makes this statement during a time when the proud and wicked are exalted.  The foolish actions of proud and arrogant people have not changed since the time of the psalmist for even in the middle of this coronavirus crisis, there are calls to impeach President Trump, and impede doctors using Hydroxychloroquine, a drug showing promise in curing some suffering from coronavirus.  These arrogant and proud actions ignore the plight of those suffering from the disease in the interest of using a crisis to advance a political agenda of hatred of President Trump and the preservation of a blotted bureaucracy that would tie the hands of medical researchers.  This would result in the deaths of thousands of people who might have been cured if medical professionals could use something to cure their patients. 

There also appear to be arrogant and proud economic leaders who see nothing wrong with shutting down the economy for a protracted period, believing that if we continue to throw money at individuals and businesses during this crisis, everything will magically be okay.  There is no such thing as economic magic for the trillions of dollars of economic stimulus money will need to be paid back in higher taxes, inflation, and increased interest payments on the national debt.  As the numbers from the crisis appear to be leveling off, it is time for the federal, state, and local governments to develop an exit strategy from this crisis to strategically open the economy back up safely.  Even the mention of the development of such a strategy should instill confidence that this crisis is temporary, and life can return to normal. 

However, the people of God have an advantage for our life is not dependent upon some governmental exit strategy instilling confidence for our confidence is in the Lord (Philippians 1:6; Proverbs 14:26; Psalms 118:8).  This is more than an empty temporary hope that stirs the emotions during a crisis but a real hope in God who loves His people and came to them, dying for their sins (Romans 5:8).  However, the power of this hope does not stop there for it is a hope bringing eternal life (John 3:16) in a world free from crisis, sickness, and death (Revelation 21:1-4).    

The psalmist in Psalm 94 ends the psalm with a declaration of the Lord as his stronghold and refuge.  My prayer for everyone reading this is that they too will seek refuge in the stronghold of a personal relationship with God during this crisis.  Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7) therefore, decisions made in fear are usually not decisions made based on Godly principles.  The context of 2 Timothy 1:7 is an instruction by Paul to Timothy regarding not having fear when preaching the Gospel.  The fear during the time of Paul and Timothy was fear of persecution from either Rome or Jews threatened by Christianity.  Today churches face the fear of an unseen virus that could make those attending services sick.  However, just as in the time of Paul and Timothy, the Church must ensure they are not making decisions on how to preach the Gospel out of fear but instead be wise about the health of those attending services.  Churches must also guard against those who have political power and an agenda to limit religious gatherings who may now feel empowered as they have been able to get churches to limit public gatherings.  While the limitation of these gatherings at present may make practical sense in the interest of protecting public health, the time will come when the health crisis subsides, and churches can gather together.  My prayer is that the Church remains free of fear and when it is expedient, return to regular gathering together to worship our Lord, even if some try to use fear to prevent such gatherings.    

The Church is not a building where people meet but the people attending services in that building.  As of this writing, church buildings are locked up with only staff going into them but the Church or groups of believers in Jesus Christ can still assemble using the tools of the internet, social media, texting, and email to remain connected and continue serving the Lord as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) while carrying out the mission of spreading the Gospel (Mark 16:15) and making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  As the spread of coronavirus begins to level out, there is also hope government officials will begin lifting some of the social distancing restrictions, including churches once again gathering together as they did before this pandemic.  We should pray that this happens according to God’s will and in the meantime, stay connected virtually using the tools God has provided. 

If you are reading this and have not accepted Jesus as your Savior and had your sins forgiven by the sinless one who died on a cross and rose from the dead for you, I invited you to do so now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Happy Easter everyone and remember, Jesus is not dead, he has risen.  May God bless everyone reading this and please take time to share this post, declaring the good news that Jesus is no longer in the grave, He is alive.