feature section | responding to covid-19
Shock, Awe, and Worship
Our Refuge and Strength
by garrett brown
by laurel copp
Responding to God’s Supremacy Editor’s note: This devotional is one of a series published by Christian Union Day and Night (www.dayandnight.org) during its recent forty-day fast, hosted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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ee that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he
The author of Hebrews calls this to the forefront as he wraps up his powerful treatise on the supremacy of Jesus. The earth was shaken at His command, and once again, things that have been made— including our structures, rhythms, and pursuits—will also be shaken. What we are experiencing now is just a small taste, a preview of the undoing the Lord will one day, in His holiness, extract. And the proper response to this, according to the author of this letter, is worship.
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the director of Caritas, Christian Union’s ministry to students at Stanford University. Garrett is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, where he explored faith from a young age. After studying communications at Biola University, he earned a Master of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology, and, eventually, a Doctorate of Ministry in Theology and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.
In the midst of disaster, the psalmist reminds the people that they do not have to fear because God promises to be present. itation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. Be still, and know that I am God. The Lord of hosts is with us. - Psalm 46: 1-2, 4-5, 10-11 (ESV) It might seem like our whole world is falling apart around us. We are facing uncertain times; a pandemic, a volatile market, isolation from friends and family, a shortage of medical supplies, to name a few. These realities cause real fear. It was in the middle of a similar upheaval that the psalmist wrote the words of Psalm 46. In the midst of disaster, the psalmist reminds the people that they do not have to fear because God promises to be present. When our world seems to be collapsing, we are offered the hope of turning our eyes to the God who promises “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The psalmist goes on to say that there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. Interestingly, Jerusalem doesn’t have a river, only an underground stream.
river of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the city. What a beautiful picture of hope! In the midst of pain, suffering, and death, God has promised to be with us and to eventually overcome these things. We do not need to fear, because like the underground stream in Jerusalem that becomes a river flowing through the center of the city, faith in God gives us a deep reservoir of resources for these uncertain days we are facing. The psalm closes with “Be still and know that I am God.” One day, Jesus went with His disciples on a boat to the other side of the sea of Galilee. After a long day of ministering to great crowds of people, He was sleeping when a storm, strong enough to terrify seasoned fishermen, began to batter the boat. The disciples woke Him in a panic, fearful that they would all drown. Jesus turned to the storm and told it to “be still” and it obeyed. Then He turned to the disciples and asked, “Why were you
afraid?” The disciples wondered, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” The God who rules over nature is with you. The realities of life can be overwhelming, daunting, and scary, but nothing is outside of God’s control. He is with you. When you are scared and anxious, you can call on Him who has promised to be with you. Eternal God, we thank You for always being with us. Guide our feet as our steps take us into an unknown future. Give us confidence in Your presence and Your faithfulness. We rest in You, Jesus. Amen. | cu laurel copp is a ministry fellow with Christian Union Libertas at Brown University. Laurel graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts degree in Theology as well as a Master of Arts in Old Testament. Before joining Christian Union’s faculty, she taught Bible and theology at Portsmouth Christian Academy and at Gordon College.
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od is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy hab-
However, the Bible does tell of a time when Jerusalem will have a river flowing through the middle of the city. John, in the book of Revelation, has a vision of the new Jerusalem in new heavens and the new earth. In his vision, a loud voice coming from the throne told him that God will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. Then an angel showed John the
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As we fast during this time of global crisis, we wake up each morning to a world that is changing rapidly. The structures, the rhythms, and the pursuits that we all take for granted have been in many ways taken away. We might safely assume these are temporary changes, and yet there may be a lingering wake left behind. We have been changed, shaken.
Two thousand years prior, Jacob was waking up to his own undoing. He lied to his father, swindled his brother, and was on the run for his life. Despite his sin, God meets him, giving him a vision of His presence and the assurance of His promise. Jacob, knowing that he wasn’t deserving of the rock under his head, let alone the blessing of God, responds in fearful worship, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God,” (Gen. 28:17). And he named that place Bethel. I, too, am not deserving of the comforts and the freedoms I enjoy, and I have little right to complain when they are taken away. Far beyond that, who am I to call myself a child of God, save for the grace of Jesus? As he called Nathanael, Jesus Himself claimed to be Bethel, the place where God resides, and He will one day
Lord, I have concerned myself for too long with temporary things, things that do not endure or honor You. Have mercy on me, and be present to me. Let us find hope in crisis, knowing that You come to make all things new, to establish a kingdom that cannot be defiled or spoiled, an unshakable kingdom. And let us worship You for who You are, holy, fearful, and good. Amen. | cu
Editor’s note: This devotional is one in a series published by Christian Union Day and Night (www.dayandnight.org) during its recent forty-day fast, hosted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:25-29 (ESV)
undo all the shakable things in the heavens and the earth, ruling over a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Therefore, in the midst of undoing, we worship Him with reverence and awe.
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What we are experiencing now is just a small taste, a preview of the undoing the Lord will one day, in His holiness, extract. And the proper response to this, according to the author of this letter, is worship.
God’s Promise: I Am with You!
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