When God Shakes the Land
First of all, the Psalms are full of encouragement about hard times, and one of them says:
"You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us; you have been angry—now restore us! You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking. You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered." (Psa 60:1-5)
When God shakes the land, so that it is quaking, and shows the people desperate times, giving them wine that makes them stagger, there is hope for the saints of God who fear Him. He has raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. We should cry out to Him to save us and help us, so that those He loves may be delivered.
Enter Your Rooms, Shut the Doors and Hide Yourselves
Then there is a passage in Isaiah that seems to fit perfectly this moment that we're all in together. It says:
"Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer." (Isa 26:20-21).
That's great biblical advice for what to do during this quarantine period. We who are the people of God should enter our rooms and shut the doors behind us; we should hide ourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. The ungodly scoff at the notion of God's wrath or a plague like this being God's wrath, but this is what the Bible teaches us. For more on this see End Time Plagues.
What is the Lord doing at this time? See, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The shaking is necessary to dislodge sin and idolatry. There has been much innocent bloodshed, and the earth will now reveal the blood shed on it; the earth will no longer conceal her slain.
The coronavirus pandemic (with it's accompanying economic collapse) is just one of many things that are going to happen to shake the earth. As of the time of this writing, the pandemic has infected more than 3.6 million and killed 251,838 people worldwide (latest count here). And there are going to be many more slain. The Case Fatality Rate in the UK is currently 98.1%! Worldwide it is 25.7%. Italy has experienced over 17,000 deaths already, and the US has experienced almost 14,000, but there could be multiplied millions more deaths before this is over. After the first spike that we're in now, there will likely be subsequent spikes later, such as in the fall and in 2021. Therefore, we should take this seriously.
The good news is that this period of staying in our homes won't last forever. We will eventually be allowed back out. The passage in Isaiah above says that it is "for a little while".
Come, You Who Have No Money
As I said, the economic impact from this crisis has been severe. People are out of work, going hungry, they have no money, the supply chain is experiencing major disruptions, there are food and supply shortages (which is essentially a famine), and people are becoming desperate. What should we do? The Lord says:
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David." (Isa 55:1-3)
What a perfect verse for us at this time for those who have no money. If you have no money right now, you should be very encouraged by this, because the Lord is calling those who have no money to come to Him and buy from Him without money and without cost. He promises that we will delight in the richest of fare. It reminds me of what Jesus said to His disciples when He told them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." (Joh 4:32). He went on to say, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." (Joh 4:34)
The Lord wants to make an everlasting covenant with those who take Him up on this invitation and come to Him.
Seek the Lord While He May Be Found
This crisis is a perfect time to seek the Lord. You no longer have the excuse that you have to work and you are too busy. You are at home now and there is plenty of time to seek the Lord. The non-essential places are closed where people normally go for entertainment and fun, so there are fewer distractions. Seek Him now at this time while He may still be found. There may come a time soon when it becomes so chaotic that you cannot seem to find Him in the midst of it (see here), but this is your opportunity to get alone with Him in your prayer closet. It's not time to be playing games and filling up your time with useless distractions.
"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isa 55:6-7)
The Lord wants to make an everlasting covenant with those who take Him up on this invitation and come to Him.
Seek the Lord While He May Be Found
This crisis is a perfect time to seek the Lord. You no longer have the excuse that you have to work and you are too busy. You are at home now and there is plenty of time to seek the Lord. The non-essential places are closed where people normally go for entertainment and fun, so there are fewer distractions. Seek Him now at this time while He may still be found. There may come a time soon when it becomes so chaotic that you cannot seem to find Him in the midst of it (see here), but this is your opportunity to get alone with Him in your prayer closet. It's not time to be playing games and filling up your time with useless distractions.
"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isa 55:6-7)
It's time for everyone -- those who know the Lord and those who don't know Him -- to stop doing the things of the world, repent, pray, and seek the Lord. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved. God loves you and is calling you to Himself right now. Don't miss this opportunity! He will have mercy on you and freely pardon your sin.
Protection During Passover
In one sense, this plague resembles the deadly plague that God brought upon Egypt, in which He sent the death angel to kill the firstborn male child of each household. But the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood upon their homes, specifically upon the doors and doorposts. They were to stay inside their homes that were covered by the blood of the lamb, and when the death angel would come, it would see the blood there upon it, and it would pass over that home, sparing the life of the firstborn male child in it.
Likewise, as we stay in our homes during this time of the Passover feast (April 8-16th), we should cry out to the Lord for the blood of Jesus to be upon our homes, upon the doors and doorposts, and upon each person within our homes. Name each one inside your home. If they have repented of their sins and invited Jesus to come and live inside their hearts, then His blood is upon them. You can ask the Lord for the covering and protection of His blood, and He will protect you.
The Passover Lamb was a type of Jesus Christ, who is the true Lamb of God, and His blood saves us from death and hell. For more on this, please see my article, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ.
Claim the Promises of Psalm 91
You should also pray a personalized version of Psalm 91 each day over yourself. Make it personal. For example, pray, "I dwell in the secret place of the Most High. I abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Surely He will save me from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I will find refuge; his faithfulness will be my shield and rampart. I will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me. I will only observe with my eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. I make the Most High my dwelling --- even the Lord, who is my refuge -- so no harm will befall me, no disaster will come near my tent. The Lord will command His angels concerning me to guard me in all my ways. He will protect me, for I acknowledge His name. With long life He will satisfy me and show me His salvation."
It's important to note that these promises are only for those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Ps 91:1). There is an amazing aspect of God's Kingdom called "abiding in Christ", which we see illustrated in various ways in Scripture, including the way that Noah and his family went into the ark and stayed there until the wrath of God had passed. For more on this, including other examples from Scripture, see my article, Abiding in Christ Illustrated.
Claim the Promises of Psalm 91
You should also pray a personalized version of Psalm 91 each day over yourself. Make it personal. For example, pray, "I dwell in the secret place of the Most High. I abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Surely He will save me from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I will find refuge; his faithfulness will be my shield and rampart. I will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me. I will only observe with my eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. I make the Most High my dwelling --- even the Lord, who is my refuge -- so no harm will befall me, no disaster will come near my tent. The Lord will command His angels concerning me to guard me in all my ways. He will protect me, for I acknowledge His name. With long life He will satisfy me and show me His salvation."
It's important to note that these promises are only for those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Ps 91:1). There is an amazing aspect of God's Kingdom called "abiding in Christ", which we see illustrated in various ways in Scripture, including the way that Noah and his family went into the ark and stayed there until the wrath of God had passed. For more on this, including other examples from Scripture, see my article, Abiding in Christ Illustrated.
Closing Words
I hope this has been an encouragement to you, during this time of unprecedented shaking, to go into your rooms, shut the door, hide yourself for a little while, and seek the Lord while He may be found. Buy from Him without money and without cost. Call on Him while He is near. Ask for the precious blood of Jesus to be upon you, your loved ones, and the house you dwell in.
Get yourself ready for the rapture. Be like the five wise virgins that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 25, who go and buy oil to fill up their extra flasks with it in preparation for the bridegroom's coming. Get filled with the Holy Spirit. Make your preparations now, before the next major cataclysm happens and before the Lord comes with the clouds of glory. He is coming very, very soon!
Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Photo courtesy Pixabay.
Author's note: You may also want to read my other related posts:
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Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org
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