The Greatness of God in a Time of Crisis

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Psalm 92

Psalm 92:5

How great are your works, O Lord!
    Your thoughts are very deep!

(ESV)

Times of crisis and struggle are unfortunately part of life and something Jesus warned us would happen (John 16:33).  Even Jesus did not escape trouble but overcame the world by conquering death through His resurrection.  The fact that many of us will not be able to gather in our church services this Easter does not mean the Lord did not conquer death with Jesus’ resurrection giving hope that this unseen virus will be conquered with the Lord’s help.  Please continue to pray for our leaders, healthcare professionals, those providing our food and other necessary services during this crisis as they are on the frontlines of this war on an unseen enemy.  Most importantly, however, may we never forget the greatness of our God and draw closer to Him during this crisis. 

Psalm 92 is a psalm of praise to God for His great works.  For the Israelites alive at the time of the writing of the psalm, these great works would have included how God delivered His people from their Egyptian bondage.  During Passover each year, Jewish people remember their deliverance by God from Egyptian bondage, giving them a reason to offer praise to God.  For Christians, this time of remembrance is resurrection Sunday or Easter where God himself died for the sins of humanity and resurrected from the dead in demonstration of God’s power and greatness.  However, in a crisis like the current coronavirus crisis, it can be difficult to find anything good to praise God for.  While many of us find ourselves sheltered in place this Easter season, I encourage everyone to take time to reflect on what Jesus did for us on Calvary and offer praise to God.  This psalm reminds us that,

1)      It is good to offer praise to God (Psalm 92:1-4) – As I am writing this, I have begun to struggle with feelings of depression and even despair over feeling isolated from other brothers and sisters in Christ due to not being able to meet face-to-face during church services.  I thank God for connection with my immediate family and even face-to-face connection with co-workers as I am still able to work because my work is deemed essential.  While it is important to remain informed regarding new developments during this crisis, after prayer, I decided to limit my usual routine of listening to my regular sources of information while working and replace it with songs of praise and worship to feed my soul and spirit.  This change will reduce the immersion of my spirit and soul in the crisis and more on the transformative renewal of Worship of God and His Word.  The goodness of offering praise to God is it feeds our soul and spirit what it needs so we remain spiritually strong through any struggle or crisis.

2)      The Lord's works are great and His thoughts are deep (Psalm 92:5-9) – In a crisis and struggle, we must hit the pause button and look out at God’s wonderful creation.  Each morning as I drive to work, I head east and have the opportunity to see the sunrise.  Arizona is known for its wonderful sunrises and sunsets and I thank God for the opportunity to experience the greatness of God’s creation in the sunrise each morning.  The psalmist also reminds us that God’s thoughts are deep (Psalm 92:5).  Not only are God’s thoughts deep, but they are available to us through His Word, the Bible.  However, to unlock these truths we must hit the pause button of focus on the current crisis and struggle we are in and allow God’s Spirit to minister to us through His Word. 

3)      The Lord exalts and anoints his people (Psalm 92:10-11) – The idea of exalting someone is not common in our language today so we must go to the original writing to derive the meaning of this word in Psalms 92:10.  The word in the original Hebrew text is wat-ta-rem which means to rise, rise up or be uplifted.  In this time of global crisis, it is comforting to know that the lord uplifts and raises up His people.  Psalm 92:10 also mentions the Lord pouring fresh oil over us symbolic of God providing a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit.  From this raised up and anointed position we can see the eventual downfall of our enemies and those intending evil against us, including an unseen virus. 

4)      The Righteous flourish all the days of their lives (Psalm 92:12-15) – Those made righteous in Christ flourish or are fruitful like a palm tree as well as strong like a great cedar.  A world struggling with a global pandemic needs God’s people to rise up, not in judgment (Matthew 7:1-2), but in fruitful strength (Galatians 5:22-23; Joshua 1:9).  This is especially true for those of us advanced in age who have experience coming through crisis and struggle in our lives.  A world in panic needs the stability of God and can see it as God’s people act in faith, not fear.

During times of crisis, it is crucial for God’s people to draw closer to God to find peace and strength in intimacy with God through prayer, study, and meditation on God’s Word.  Romans 12:2 reminds us that being a Christian is a transformative life where one loses conformity to the world and gains conformity to God and His Word through diligent prayer, study, and meditation on the Word of God.  For those that still go to work each day because your work is deemed essential, I encourage you to draw close to God so you can be a lighthouse of God’s peace and strength as you work in a world full of panic.  For those sheltered and unable to get out, use the time to draw closer to God and reach out to others who may be panicked or fearful through social media, email, or the phone as a means of sharing God’s peace and strength with them. 

Jesus told his followers that they were the salt of the earth and a light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16).  A world in panic needs the preservative salt of God and His Word as well as light to illuminate the path through this pandemic.  I ask those reading this who have a relationship with Christ to step up and be the salt and light in these chaotic times.  For those reading this who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I invite you to pray with me and receive God’s forgiveness of your sins so you can begin to experience peace, a peace that can only come from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

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.

Inner peace is possible during times of crisis and separation from others due to social distancing.  This is because like Jesus whose closest friends abandoned Him, we are never alone for God the Father is always with us.  My prayer is that we would live lives of peace through Christ and be savory lighthouses in a dark and unsavory crisis.  May God bless everyone reading this post.