Our passage of Scripture today is really relevant to what’s taking place in the world right now with the outbreak of COVID-19. It is a reminder for us to have an attitude not based on fear, but built on faith.
The predominant vibe of the world today is one of fear. It’s a fear of the unknown, fear of sickness, fear of death. Why? Because fear and faith are out of proportion. Fear is predominant at the moment because faith in God has been pushed aside.
Flattening the Curve of Faith & Fear
One thing you’ve probably heard a lot recently is “flatten the curve.” In other words, keep the coronavirus numbers from spiking so that they will be stretched out over time and more manageable.
This is something Christians need to do in a spiritual sense. We need to “flatten the curve” of our faith. We should flatten the peaks and troughs of our faith so that it will be more constant and resilient throughout our life.
How do we do this? King David offered two suggestions in Psalm 27 – one active and the other passive.
Actively Seeking
One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.
– Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)
To “flatten the curve” of our faith, we need to actively seek – to diligently look and search for something until it’s found. In Psalm 27:4, there are three ways to do this:
- Seek “to dwell in the house of the Lord.” This implies a sense of calm and not being affected by the world’s chaos.
- Seek “the beauty of the Lord.” Seek the Lord’s beauty in His wonderful attributes – His holiness, faithfulness, mercy, righteousness, peace. Search for it also in His creation, which tells of His glory (Psalm 19:1).
- Seek “to inquire in His temple.” In other words, focus and meditate on the things of God.
Passively Waiting
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
– Psalm 27:14
Another way we make our faith more consistent is by waiting. It doesn’t mean wasting time – it means being still (Psalm 46:10) and waiting for God to act. When we do this, God strengthens our hearts.
Paul’s Point of View on Suffering
Things brings us to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Here, the apostle Paul writes:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
– v. 16
Paul understood the inverse relationship of fear and faith. He understood that more fear meant less faith, and vice versa. But for him, faith was predominant. He must have experienced fear at some point during his suffering, but he didn’t indulge in it.
For Paul, fear didn’t dominate his faith in the Lord. That’s why he could say:
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
– v. 17
This isn’t to say that things like the lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and deaths due to COVID-19 are not a big deal. But compared to the eternal life we have in Christ, these troubles are momentary. Faith enables us to take a longer view of life, and it provides context.
Focusing on What Is Eternal
As the Lord’s return draws near, the world will be in anguish, perplexity and faint with terror (Luke 21:25-28). But because we have faith, we can “lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). We look forward to Christ’s return.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
– 2 Corinthians 4:18
In light of COVID-19, we should not fixate on the fear around us. Our situation is only temporary. Instead we should focus on what is eternal. We should focus on the world’s salvation, our faith and Christ’s return.
If you’re experiencing fear or anxiety, know that God hasn’t given you a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). We don’t need to fear – we can pursue faith and fix our eyes on what is eternal and what we have in Christ.
Devotional posted on our Facebook Group – Tuesday, Apr. 7 @ 3:00 PM
