With all of the fear surrounding the H1N1 flu, I think this is a very important verse for us to remember: "Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday." (Psalm 91:6)
With 24/7 news networks blaring and sites like twitter and facebook bringing us real time information and speculation about this illness, it's very easy for us to get caught up in a cycle of obsession and fear. And just when we think we're getting over our fear, we turn on the TV to see another newsflash and we're back to square one.
As believers in Christ, we shouldn't be placing our faith in CNN or the WHO or even a friend on facebook. We should be placing our faith in Christ and trusting in His sovereignty.
The truth of the matter is, not one of us knows exactly how long we're going to be on this earth for. We might live to 100 or we might die unexpectedly tomorrow. But in the meantime, we can't live our lives so caught up in fear that we're not really living at all.
Even with this flu, all we can do is take reasonable precautions such as wash our hands, eat right, get our sleep, and avoid contact with people we know are sick. After that, it's up to us to trust God with the rest. Walking around like the world is about to explode isn't a way to live.
Things change at a very fast pace here on this earth. Illness come and go. Disasters take on many forms. And no one is given any guarantee over what is coming their way tomorrow. But we can know this- we follow a God who is worth trusting. A God who never allows us to walk through life alone. And a God who knows the number of our days. Isn't that alone enough that we can rest in?
"I lift my eyes to the mountains- does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps." (Psalm 121:1-4)
2 comments:
I think we need to trust God for things. But I think God expects us to use reason and make good choices.
To me, the H1N1 shot is the right thing to do. I don't understand why people are debating whether or not to get a vaccination. Medical science is giving it to us to keep us safe, and not being a scientist or a doctor, I'm not really educated enough to disagree with it.
I take an aspirin when I get a headache. Why wouldn't I want a shot to prevent a virus?
H1N1 isn't about trusting God or not trusting God. It's about taking care of yourself.
Scott
That's a good point.
I wasn't meaning to just "trust God" and not take precautions- I believe He's given us wisdom to make choices and we shouldn't walk around blindly. The point I was tryint to make is that when it comes to anything, whether it's H1N1 or cancer or any illness, we shouldn't be caught up in fear. Because living in fear won't stop bad things from happening, but it will stop us from fully embracing the life we've been given to enjoy.
Personally I have decided not to get the shot. Not because I believe that it's evil or sign of not trusting God or anything like that. But because I have other health concerns and it's something that has not been recommended to me because of these issues. According to people much smarter than me, not enough testing has been done to see how the shot might effect these health problems and the research that has been done to date shows some very adverse effects.
But that's a decision that I had to make after talking to health professionals who know my history.
When it comes down to it, everyone needs to make their own choice based on their health needs and make sure it's something they are comfortable with at the end of the day.
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