Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
When the weather is nice, you can live in a house founded on sand. It’s when the rain falls, and the ground trembles, that you are forced to consider whether sand was the best building material. (See the DIY home improvement tips from Jesus in Matthew 7:24-29.)
The COVID-19 virus has brought a big storm. What is important to us? Whom do we think has the best shot at saving us?
The disturbing thing, for me, is the number of people whose lives have been captured by fear. Bible readers that we are, though, it can’t be that shocking. The instances of God’s people reacting in fear (in response to a genuine threat) rather than “leaning on the everlasting arms” are legion.
Israel repeatedly got the notion they couldn’t trust God to actually put food and drink on the table and decided to turn back to Egypt. When Yahweh did bring them to the brink of the Promised Land, their fear disqualified them from entry. Numbers 13 and 14 detail the story. Twelve spies were sent into the land for 40 days, and then returned to report on what they saw.
Ten spies turned out to be wicked and faithless. Two were more honorable. However, their testimonies about the land were largely in agreement. The facts were not in question. The land was prosperous. It was amazingly fruitful. On the other hand, the inhabitants were big, scary and ready for a fight.
They agreed on the facts, but the interpretation of those facts was the point of controversy. The 10 were sure the facts meant Israel had made a gigantic mistake coming here in the first place. Israel should take this last chance to turn back. To rely on God’s promises was clearly the unscientific option, given the preponderance of the gathered data.
Joshua and Caleb interpreted the facts more faithfully in the light of God’s promises. With God on our side, we can take these guys! Don’t let their physical height or the height of their city walls make you think that the word of God is not going to be enough to overcome them.
Fast-forward to 2020 and the mostly agreed upon fact that COVID-19 wants to kill us all. A month ago, we’d have thumped our chests about how our house is built on the rock of God’s word. Now we are berated constantly with witnesses telling us that is not enough: To say such things is naïve and unscientific.
What we really need is a facemask, asymptomatic quarantine and the preemptive destruction of the world economy. O great god, thou governmental agency, come now and save us. Hosanna!
We used to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 like we thought it was a thing. When the sun shined, we acted like we believed our land would be healed and restored if only the people who claimed to know God (not the unbelievers) would turn from their sin and trust him again. Now we know better. That’s what big storms will do for you.
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: