Good morning, Faith family:

There’s a great story in II Kings 6; the king of Syria sent an army to capture Elisha, and when Elisha’s servant got up that morning, he saw that they were surrounded by the Syrian army. He expressed fear to Elisha, but Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, because we outnumber them.” Then he prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes. When the servant looked again, he saw that that the enemy army was surrounded by horses and chariots of fire.

Psalm 34 says something similar about God’s people—

Psalm 34:7–8, ESV—The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

As you meditate on these verses, first of all tell the Lord what good things He has allowed you to taste even since the COVID-19 crisis began and praise and thank Him for His goodness. Next, tell Him how you desire to follow His ways even more devotedly (“fear Him”), and ask Him to enable you to do this. Ask Him to open your eyes and give you a fresh eternal perspective as you realize how the Lord’s angel army encamps around you, your house and your family. And finally, bring your cares and fears to Him, because He cares for you. Take shelter in the Lord!

Lord, I pray for each person reading this, that by your Spirit you will open our eyes to see the spiritual reality that is much greater than our immediate circumstances, and by your Spirit you will strengthen our faith to go forward. Amen.

Many blessings,

Pastor Jon