In times of fear, remember our "refuge"

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid … (Ps. 56:3-4).

A couple of days ago, my son asked me if there had ever before been something similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 1918, there was something called the Spanish plague which killed millions of people, I told him. Also, hundreds of years ago there was in Europe something called the Black Plague, which, in the same way, killed millions of people. I was aware of his concern about the current global situation, so I was quick to point out that "back then" there wasn’t the scientific and medical knowledge available to us today. As such, we need to trust that God will provide the wisdom and knowledge to those working on a vaccine to fight this virus.

In my short life, I had never before experienced an event causing such global disruption and fear as the COVID-19 pandemic. These are indeed frightful times. In a recent phone conversation with a friend from the USA, she said, “This thing is bringing out the best and the worst in people.”

In our town, San Cristobal de las Casas, schools will close starting this coming Friday, Mar. 20 through April 20 to help prevent the spread of the virus. In addition, major public events have been called off, and local sport facilities and sporting events have been canceled. Attendance in our children’s school dropped by more than half this week.

The last few nights, our family has taken some time to read scriptures that remind us and help us to reflect on God’s love, faithfulness and protection. We’ve read Psalms 23, Psalms 46, Psalms 91, Psalms 121. We have reminded Juan and Ziba that God is in control and that we need to follow the basic guidelines to protect ourselves and others.

We have also taken time to pray for places around the world with limited to nonexistent health care. If the COVID-19 hits them, it would be lethal and devastating. This would be the case for many of our brothers and sisters living in impoverished communities in the mountains of Chiapas.

So today, I want to encourage you to read scriptures that will strengthen your faith and trust in God as well as to consider praying for:

- Individuals and families who have been impacted by the virus and those who have lost love ones.

- Healthcare workers in the US and around the globe taking care of patients affected by the virus.

- Seniors living alone and unable to get visits from family and friends.

- People around the globe with limited or no healthcare available if they were impacted by the virus

- Christ’s body to find creative ways to be light in the midst of these anxious and fearful times.