Devotions with Pastor John

Mar 24

Written By

Here's a brief devotion for you on Psalm 121:

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains-

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip-

he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you-

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm-

he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

The thing about hills - they were made. They cannot save you because like you, they were created. So you have to look higher. You have to look up to the Lord, he's the one who made heaven and earth. The created cannot save you. Only the Creator is powerful enough to do that.

God's got your life. He won't let you slip. He's got you during this pandemic emergency.

I've been reading the Bible. People say it's old news. But I find something new in it every day.

People have been watching too much news these days. It's pretty much all bad.

We participated in a conference call with the Governor today. Everyone was asking "how long?' She doesn't know. It's too early to say. Starbuck's closed for two weeks. The schools are closed until April 13. How long will this go on? We don't know. We're just hills. We're just creatures working in created systems with created tools.

One of the big news outlets is trying to get the President to commit to a course of action - either he must kill the economy or kill the people, so they say. But the President, like the hills, is just created. He cannot save us. No matter what he does, someone will argue it was the wrong thing. We are all just created. No matter what we do, there will be a down side.

Another man on the radio was talking about developing "herd immunity." We ought to send the younger, fitter, healthier ones out to contract the virus so that they can resist it in the future and we don't have to do this again. But that, of course, puts those of us was are older, less fit and less healthy at risk.

More and more a conversation seems to be developing: should the many sacrifice for the sake of the few? Or, should the few be sacrificed for the sake of the many?

It's a moral and ethical conundrum.

So, it appears we've been fighting a delaying action to have time to develop treatments and protocols and not overwhelm our medical system.

I'm not qualified to offer opinions about what we should do. In the end, I'm just a creature.

Here's what I can tell you with certainty. Don't look to the hills. They'll let you down. Don't look to the systems or the leaders or protocols to save you. They'll let you down. They are doing the best they can. But they can't save us. Their best efforts will still be incomplete and people will complain later that it was too much or not enough.

We have a savior. Our help comes from the Lord. Our savior is Jesus and I can tell you about him.

In the economy of God, it was One (Jesus) who sacrificed for everyone. Himself for all of us. That dread day on the cross, he gave himself for all of us. Follower of Jesus, you've been saved already. Lift up your eyes. Your help has come. He is with you. Your future is secure.

The Psalm says that God will be your keeper. He will be your shade. The sun will not strike you by day nor the moon by night. In other words, nothing in the day and nothing in the night will harm you. He's got you.

It says that whether you go out or you go in, he's got you. He's watching over you. He never sleeps so you can. He's always there, with you, guarding, saving, delivering you.

And it says that it's true today and forevermore. That's eternity. No matter what happens in this life, it's OK. He's got you forevermore. One day you will be delivered from this veil of tears and terrors. He's got you. Now and then.

If this is news to you, I invite you to believe it, trust him. If this old news to you, then I invite you to live it. Now is the time for us all to live out what we believe. Let them see your confidence, your faith. Let them see that you know God's got this.

Thanks for reading. Hold fast, Zion!

Prayer:

Lord, there are so many hard decisions that must be made. Guide those who make them. Lead them to wisdom. Those of us who must abide by the decisions made, give us patience and a desire to be full of grace and forgiveness when we don't like the decisions made. Give us grace to live everyday as your faithful people. Save us from this time of trial. Save us from this dread virus. Restore us all to true health. We ask in the name of Jesus, Amen.