Strong Enough to Withstand the Storm

Did anyone get caught in today's thunderstorm? It seemed to come out of nowhere - it was warm and pleasant and then suddenly we were in a raging thunderstorm with pelting rain.

COVID-19 feels like that to me. Even with advance warning that a dangerous virus was infecting people in a Chinese province, I still never could have imagined the scope and scale of this devastating virus, and how it would tear through the world at lightning speed, ravaging not only health but also world economies. Just as a severe storm rips across the Midwestern prairies as this one did today, so the coronavirus has ripped across the world, and life is forever altered.

As I note in this video, however, we who follow God are called to stand strong. There are several places in the Bible where God refers to his people as trees. The righteous who choose the life of trusting God in faithful obedience are described in Psalm 1 as trees planted by a stream, whose leaves don't wither and who bear fruit at the right time. The prophet Isaiah refers to the people of God as oaks of righteousness.

Spend time meditating on these two passages. Read through them slowly a couple of times. What word or phrase is God highlighting to you? Spend time thinking about that, ask God to speak to you. Is there any action he might be asking you to take? What will help you become strong enough to withstand the hard times? Who does the good work in you to help you do that?

The first passage, the psalm, is a poem that was used in the ancient Hebrew church. The second is prophecy about the coming Messiah, Jesus, and what he would do for all people who trust in him. It's also a prophecy about God's coming kingdom, which we'll get to experience when Jesus returns and kicks Satan out, and restores all the broken things about this world - including coronavirus.

Psalm 1

1
Blessed is the person who does not
    follow the advice of wicked people,
        take the path of sinners,
            or join the company of mockers.
2
Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord
    and reflects on his teachings day and night.
3
He is like a tree planted beside streams—
    a tree that produces fruit in season
        and whose leaves do not wither.
He succeeds in everything he does.[a]

4
Wicked people are not like that.
Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.
5
    That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment
        and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

6
The Lord knows the way of righteous people,
    but the way of wicked people will end.

The Lord Will Anoint His Servant with His Spirit

    The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me
    because the Lord has anointed me
        to deliver good news to humble people.
    He has sent me
        to heal those who are brokenhearted,
        to announce that captives will be set free
            and prisoners will be released.
²     He has sent me
        to announce the year of the Lord’s good will
            and the day of our God’s vengeance,
        to comfort all those who grieve.
³     He has sent me
        to provide for all those who grieve in Zion,
        to give them crowns instead of ashes,
            the oil of joy instead of tears of grief,
                and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness.

They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
    the Plantings of the Lord,
        so that he might display his glory.

Note: In the video you'll see that I keep referring to the tree on my front lawn as an oak tree. Actually after I filmed it I remembered it is an elm tree, not an oak. I thought it was an oak at first, but after the leaves and seeds came out I realized it is an elm! Ooops :) Just in case anyone can see it closely enough in the video to recognize the tree, I thought I had better be accurate. But my analogy still holds!