Consider how you will respond

David Bowman March 17, 2020

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Psalm 34:4  I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

Just about every town or city I have lived in or visited in my travels has prominent memorials. Monuments, statues and plaques rise in memory of challenging times and events. They are placed to help people remember how they stand on the shoulders of those who beat back the darkness so that we can live in the light. 

We live in a time of encroaching darkness. A worldwide pandemic threatens the most vulnerable among us. It also threatens those adventurous souls who dare travel beyond our borders. The great threat of COVID-19 is how contagious it is. While its symptoms are mild for most people, they are a death sentence for some. 

Several writers this week have noted Martin Luther’s response to the Black Plague which arrived in Wittenberg in 1527. As many fled, and as he was urged to flee as well, he instead stayed to serve. Listen to his words:

Yes, no one should dare leave his neighbor unless there are others who will take care of the sick in their stead and nurse them. In such cases we must respect the word of Christ, “I was sick and you did not visit me …” (Matthew 25:41–46). 

According to this passage we are bound to each other in such a way that no one may forsake the other in his distress but is obliged to assist and help him as he himself would like to be helped.¹

Luther went on to say in his letter, “Use medicines; take potions which can help you; fumigate house, yard, and street; shun persons and places wherever your neighbor does not need your presence or has recovered, and act like a man who wants to put out a burning city.”

Many good articles are available which provide sound guidance regarding protecting ourselves against COVID-19. They tell us where we can go and what we should avoid. Others help us know how to pray more strategically. Still others tell us how to support financially those who serve on the frontlines battling this disease. 

My bride works for a large school district. They and other districts like them are implementing plans to feed students across their districts who depend on their schools for breakfast and lunch. Schools in our area have been dismissed for the next two weeks. This will be a mammoth operation. 

A recent tornado in Dallas led to similar measures in that school district. However, there were children and families who fell through the cracks of this strategy for one reason or another. Texans on Mission (also known as Texas Baptist Men) stepped up with their disaster relief feeding operation. They placed their units in the neediest areas and helped solve that problem.

Texans on Mission are preparing to do so again. Many of their team members are retirees. This means they are among those most vulnerable to infection from this disease. They are now training men and women in basic food handling so that they can join this army of volunteers in serving our communities. You can find out more and sign up for training here: tbmtx.org.

Now is the time to pray, to provide help where help is needed and to trust God from the bottom of our hearts. 

Listen to what David prayed when his life was on the line: “I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” A couple of sentences above he said, “I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart,” (v. 2). 

Read on through verse 10. Notice what David said about God in his near-death experience:

• Those who look to God for help will be radiant with joy (v. 5).
• They will never be ashamed.
• David prayed; God listened (v. 6).
• God saved David from all his troubles.
• God surrounds and defends all who fear him (v. 7).
• Those who take refuge in God discover how good he is and experience joy (v. 8).
• Those who trust God will have all they need (v. 9).
• Those who trust God will lack nothing good (v. 10). 

Let us pray. Let us trust God. Let us serve others in his name. Let us sing God’s praises and tell of his greatness (vv. 1-3). Let us remember the cross where Jesus paid it all and the empty tomb which declares the death of death. 

Easter is coming soon on our calendars. Let us live as resurrection people who carry the light of the good news into these days of encroaching darkness. Let us live the kinds of lives that generations who come behind us remember with gratitude.

I will trust God and serve others.

Our Father, many people around the world today live in terror regarding this disease. Many are awakening to the reality that everything within their grasp is vulnerable to forces beyond their control. Make us gospel people, bearers of the good news, properly contagious with your words of hope and life. Empower us to serve those who are suffering with grace and wisdom. Use us in whatever manner you see fit to beat back the darkness. Amen.

1. Pathos.com, 3/5/20

Photo source: istock 

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David Bowman, (DMin, PCC) is the Executive Director of Tarrant Baptist Association in Fort Worth, Texas. He also serves as a Multiplying Trainer for Future Church Co. Learn More »

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