Author: John Page 53 of 163

Psalm 57:1 “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”

Psalm 57:4a “My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire”

Psalm 57:7 “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.”

Isaiah 41:29-31 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”

A week ago, I had the privilege to virtually attend a well-deserved promotion ceremony of an outstanding military chaplain.  Another senior chaplain gave the closing prayer and referenced Psalm 57.  What a perfect and timely passage of scripture for the day in which we live!

Humanity is in desperate need of peace and comfort.  We feel like our soul is among lions.  We seek a place of shelter until the current calamities are past.  We are faint, we are weary, we have no might on our own, and we are falling and failing. 

Fortunately, we have a God who is all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.  He offers the comfort of a merciful God who can be trusted with our soul and who stands always ready as a source of refuge.  It is up to us to fix our hearts upon Him. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FIX OUR HEARTS UPON THE LORD DURING THESE DIFFICULT DAYS.  His hands are open wide with power and strength.  Affixing our hearts to Him, and encouraging others to do the same, will provide us much needed encouragement until these calamities be overpast.

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

John 14:3 “And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

I Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

A large part of the public policy conflict surrounding COVID-19 is a differing philosophy on the purpose and priority of government in a crisis  Many strongly contend that the situation warrants extreme short-term focus, and that public health is to be the dominating priority of government in these times.  Others contend for a broader focus, and that the priority of government should always be the long-term overall well-being of its citizens, including immediate and enduring public health, mental health, social health, economic health, employment health, legal health, and educational health.  These considerations pit factions at all levels against one another.

While government will never get it perfectly right, God always does!  He has laid out a plan and a priority, in accordance with His purpose, that seeks our eternal overall well-being while offering us joy and fulfillment in the short, medium and long terms.  He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.  He stands ready to answer us and show us great and mighty things which we knoweth not.  He has prepared a glorious place for us with Him for all of eternity.  We can’t even see, hear, dream, or imagine the glorious things that He has in store for us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PEACE IN GOD’S PERFECT PLAN FOR OUR ETERNAL WELL-BEING AND FOR A DETERMINATION TO SHARE IT WITH A CONFLICTED WORLD.  It is easy to get dismayed by the erratic tug-of-war of our earthly authorities.  Fortunately, our ultimate authority has the perfect plan, the perfect purpose, and the perfect priority as a part of His overwhelming love for us. 

II Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 spells out the standards of diplomacy between independent countries.  It contains a slew of special rights given to those who are officially on diplomatic status in a foreign nation, most notably, the right to what is commonly referred to as diplomatic immunity.  These standards, ratified by nearly every nation on earth, form the foundation of international relations.

The Vienna Convention, though, does not only spell out the special rights of diplomats.  It also outlines their unique responsibilities, the first of which comes from Article 3.  A diplomat is responsible for “representing the sending State in the receiving State.”  This simple provision reminds all in the diplomatic corps that they are to act as representatives at all times and in all ways of the nation that sent them.  They are expected to do so brilliantly, as a model to all who witness them, through good times and especially through challenging times.

We are Ambassadors for Christ, equally responsible for representing the One who sent us to the foreign world around us.  The simple verse of II Corinthians 5:20 reminds all who take on the name of Christ that we are to act as representatives at all times and in all ways of the One who sent us.  We are expected to do so brilliantly, as a model to all who witness us, through good times and especially through challenging times like those we face today.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST IN A WAY THAT PROPERLY REPRESENTS HIM, ESPECIALLY IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES.  Are we properly representing the sender?

Please see the following link for a related previous thought:

Ambassadors

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:  for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.”

Deuteronomy 3:28 “But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him:  for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.”

British author and theologian C.S. Lewis wrote the following:  “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

Much of society is gripped by fear in the midst of the unique and daunting challenges that we continue to face.  Individuals are afraid of a virus, afraid of sickness, afraid of death, afraid of the economic downturn, afraid of unemployment, afraid of a reshaping of society, afraid of lost educational opportunities, afraid of loneliness, afraid of the missed opportunities to recognize milestones, and afraid of the erosion of essential institutions like the local church.  They face fear alone, socially separated from their traditional pillars of resilience and sources of encouragement.  It need not be so!

God has not left us to fend for ourselves, even if we are suffering through the challenges of human isolation.  He is with us wherever we are, and He goes with us wherever we go.  He offers us strength and courage.  He charges us to encourage others – thus uplifting them, reminding them of God’s presence, and filling them with the courage that is lacking during their flagging moments.  It is a virtue necessary now to buoy all other virtues, and is a way for Christians to vividly demonstrate our faith to a world whose courage may have waned long ago when first reaching their testing point.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A CHRISTIAN CHARACTERISTIC OF COURAGE THROUGH CHRIST.  It will define our virtue at the testing point, and demonstrate a faith that is unwavering in a God that in unconquerable.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

I Corinthians 13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

Philippians 2:3-4 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

I recently came across a superb article published in Psychology Today.  “Ethics in a Pandemic Age” was written by Dr. Michael Austin, a professor at the United States Air Force Academy (see link below).  Though it is written from a secular perspective, it contains superb spiritual truths.

Dr. Austin’s thesis is that “it is a cold world where everyone only cleans up the messes they were responsible for making.”  He contends that our proper response to a COVID-19 world characterized by anxiety, fear, and a concern over our own well-being is activity focused on grace, generosity, and gratitude instead of a priority on rigid rules, rights and responsibilities.

None of this discounts the importance of rules, rights, and responsibilities, but Dr. Austin contends that it is better for society if these are not the dominant considerations in our lives.  For our own mental health, and for the mutual benefit of society, we are to exude grace, generosity, and gratitude.

This challenge by Dr. Austin is a perfect recipe for American Christians and American Christian churches in such an age.  It is how our Saviour was victorious in a world characterized by a crisis of sin.  It is how we can demonstrate our distinct worldview that loves God and loves others as our top priorities.  It is the way that we can break the cycle of fear and showcase the characteristics of Christ.  It is a way that we can reflect our loving God’s ability to clean up the messes of humanity that are solely our responsibility.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO LIVE WITH DISTINCTION BY REFLECTING THE DIVINE.  Let us lead our society through the current crisis through divine demonstrations of grace, generosity, and gratitude.

“Ethics in a Pandemic Age” can be found at: 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ethics-everyone/202003/ethics-in-pandemic-age?fbclid=IwAR1S5aZX4DQDKvKMIvQ-nQlrGXFslJvIizDCd8GY3dz6PtTmPsuWA2nMgOo