As many of us are forced to take some time away from our busy schedules and are quarantined due to the coronavirus, we need to look at our situation from God’s perspective. As our world comes to a grinding halt, what is God saying to all of the inhabitants of earth? The answer to this question is no secret. The Bible gives a clear answer for us in Psalm 46.
In this psalm, the writer is faced with a major crisis that he describes as a time of “trouble” (verse 1). The original word could be translated “tight places.” In other words, the world of the psalmist was closing in on him and he felt threatened, just like we do in our current situation. The psalmist speaks of a time when his world was being destroyed by massive earthquakes that caused the mountains to be cast into the sea. This colossal geological upheaval created destructive tsunamis. All of this brought about destruction upon the earth. Furthermore, the psalmist invites us to “Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth” (Psalm 46:6).
The first thing that God wants us to know is that He is in control. There are no situations or events that transpire in our world that do not come from the hand of the Lord – the Creator of heaven and earth. This global crisis is not an accident.
We should not try to point the finger of blame at China or any other nation. The bottom line is that the Lord has chosen for this virus to march across the face of the earth at this point in time for His purposes. Long ago, King Solomon of Israel observed, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work” (Ecclesiastes 3:17).
God uses diseases and viruses for His divine purposes. Read Deuteronomy 28:21-22, 27-28, 35. Our life and health are in His hands for His purposes. Long life and good health are a gift from God. When Jesus walked this earth almost 2,000 years ago, He demonstrated that all diseases are under His authority. Read Mark 1:30-34.
In Psalm 46, the psalmist declared that one of the major reasons for the crisis in his time was to cause people to cease from being busy and get to know God. Through him, God shouted out to the people, “Be still, and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). This is at the heart of what God wants from all of us. He wants all of us to fix our attention upon Him. We are to adore Him. Worship Him. Be in awe of Him. One of the major compelling desires of our lives ought to be to discover the truth about God and to respond to Him in worship and service from a pure heart for His glory.
Unfortunately, most of the inhabitants on earth never think about God during the day. Their thoughts are very far from Him. It is obvious that they do not know Him. This is the major problem in our world – people do not know God. During the days of the ancient prophet of Israel, Hosea, God spoke to the rebellious nation of Israel and said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6)
God wants the very best for each one of us. The real peace and joy we are looking for will not be found in plenty of food, money, entertainment, or our creature comforts.
God wants you. He created you for His purposes. He is a jealous God. Read Exodus 20:5-6. His goal is not to make you happy, but to glorify Him. When you walk with Him you will have what you are looking for. There is no greater joy than to know Him and serve Him. After all, that is what we will be doing in heaven for all of eternity.
Maybe in the next few days you can take the time to reflect upon all of this.
(Our March newsletter will give a more comprehensive report concerning the current peace plan offered to the Israelis and Palestinians by the Trump administration.)
After waiting for months to hear the details of President Trump’s Middle East peace plan, the wait is over. A delegation of global heads of state and global financial leaders gathered on June 26-27 in Manama, Bahrain to consider phase one of the proposal. The theme of the gathering was “Peace to Prosperity.” Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and appointed advisor of this peace initiative, spoke to the group, explaining the details of this innovative approach to obtaining peace and security in the Middle East. The first step of the plan is to offer a $50 billion incentive to four countries to help them out of their cycle of poverty. Those who will be recipients of this aid are Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and the bulk of the aid going to the Palestinians. This investment will be made to help these countries develop their infrastructure and create jobs for millions of people. The idea is to help these nations out of poverty, hoping this will foster an atmosphere that will allow them to work toward a political solution for peace. The political aspects of this offer have not been revealed. The Palestinians refused to attend this conference. The Israelis were not invited.
Israel continues to experience minor earthquakes. On Wednesday, June 26, a 3.8 earthquake occurred in the southern area of the Dead Sea. This area is a part of the very dangerous earthquake fault zone that is known as the Syrian/African Rift Valley. This fault forms the eastern border of Israel with Jordan. In Israel, this Rift Valley follows the entire Jordan River basin in Israel from the north until it reaches the Dead Sea. The earthquake fault goes underneath the Dead Sea, through the Arava Valley and through the Red Sea into the continent of Africa. Jerusalem is located only 17 miles to the west if the fault line. This Rift Valley will produce the major earthquakes connected to many prophetic events mentioned in the Bible. These current successive minor quakes along this fault line are a signal that the more powerful ones are coming. The last major quake in this area was in 1927. Israeli seismologists have been preparing the nation for the next big earthquake, which they say is due any time.