Preparing your heart for a pandemic

Last month’s blog entry, “Faith or Fear,” provides the first step for this month’s blog, so you may want to read that one first.

There are a lot of articles and resources for those who are preparing for the pandemic, so I want to focus on the most important preparation of all – the spiritual component. Preparing our hearts will enable us to face the future (and whatever it may bring) with wisdom, courage and strength. Through His Word and the Holy Spirit, God provides the only prep that can see us through absolutely anything that comes our way.

So this month, let’s spend a little extra time fortifying our souls. Let’s meditate on scriptures that can bolster our faith and quell our fear. Here are some that have been speaking to me lately:

John 14:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:25-26 (NKJV)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Exodus 11:4-7 (NKJV)

⁴ Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵ and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. ⁶ Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. ⁷ But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’

It’s that last part, that I emphasized in bold, that really stood out to me this month. Yes, I know the Bible also says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. But God differentiates between his people and those who don’t know him yet (or who have outright rejected Him). I’ve found that really comforting, and I believe it’s important to recognize and embrace it. It’s good news for believers!

And finally… this passage from Isaiah may become more relevant than we expect, in the event we need to quarantine in our own homes (chambers):

Isaiah 26:20, 21 (NKJV)

Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
²¹ For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain.

Shall we pray?

Lord Jesus, our world is in crisis. But we are in Your hands, and we give ourselves to Your care. Please guide and direct us, and help us to be a blessing to others. Help us to follow You through this time, and the times to come. In Your name we pray, and ask for Your perfect peace. Amen.