It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

Psalm 27:2

I appreciate the honesty of the first two lines of this poem: "Under attack again. Such is life in a broken world..."

A common refrain regarding COVID19, even among Christians, has been that this trial is "unprecedented." While some particulars of the situation may be unique, in another sense (the more important sense?) this is just another event in a long line of attacks that happen in a broken world. That threats to our health and finances could test our faith and trust in God - there's certainly nothing unique about that. Whatever it looked like to respond in faith to previous iterations of this attack, a faithful response to COVID19 will look rather similar. 

There are some great lines in this poem reflecting things we could choose to do when under attack.

I have rested in the hollow of your hand.
I have hidden under the shelter of your wing.
I have had your peace put me to sleep.
I have had your presence comfort my heart.
I have had your Spirit give me new strength.

As the poem goes to lament, why, in times of trouble, do we forget those?

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. Is there a place in your life where you are under attack? How are you responding.

- Discouragement on several fronts. Some because of pride and some because of a lack of trust in how God may be working in others. 

2. What evidence is there in your life that sometimes you tend to forget the safety of the protecting grace of your Savior?

- The first instinct that these situations are "problems for me to solve," rather than "lessons for me to learn."