The Pestilence That Stalks In The Darkness

Takeaway from our Zoom worship team meeting tonight, from Psalm 91: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. This tells me two things: 1) Plagues and pestilences have always been around, since sin entered the world anyway. There is nothing new under the sun. We don't think about them as much these days because we have the wonders of modern medicine. Many things that were terrifying a hundred years ago can be handled with a simple drug now. A pestilence that stalks us is not something we normally fear, so the recent outbreak has been terrifying for us. 2) God knew, 4,000 years ago, that there would be a Black Plague, Smallpox, Polio, the Spanish flu, and the Coronavirus. He saw all of it ahead of time and told us before it all started, you do not have to fear the "pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday." When God says "do not fear," or "you will not fear," I don't think he's telling us to galavant around and not take precautions. This post is encouraging neither staying at home nor re-opening society. I simply found it comforting to know that God spoke to this very issue that plagues us now - 4,000 years ago!