“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
When Psalm 91 says you shall not be afraid of “the pestilence that walks in darkness,” it speaks of every epidemic, every virus, every deadly disease, and every outbreak. When it mentions “the destruction that lays waste at noonday,” it covers all accidents and outward destruction. When it talks about the “arrow that flies by night,” it covers all projectiles, including even modern missiles that can shoot down planes.
Do you know what it means for something to “walk in darkness”? Doctors might tell you that they do not know what disease is developing in your body. Now, as a child of God, you can claim His promise straight away and say, “I will not be afraid of the disease that walks in darkness.” Do the necessary medical checks and consult with medical professionals, but do it without fear. Do it with your Jehovah Shalom. When you take God as your Jehovah Shalom, this is what He says to you: “Do not fear, you shall not die.”
Some years ago, there was an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in my nation of Singapore. A young woman was infected while abroad and triggered a series of transmissions after she returned to Singapore. The deadly SARS virus infected 238 other people. Sadly, 33 of them died. Outside of Singapore, more than 20 other countries reported infections by the virus. It was a global epidemic.
A heavy cloud of fear hung over the entire nation during this time. Every day, news outlets reported new infections and fatalities. It seemed like the spread of the virus was unstoppable. Most pointedly, a report indicated that “The most immediate impact of the new disease was fear. People stayed home more and avoided public or crowded places like swimming pools and shopping centres. Many also curbed their wanderlust and shelved travel plans.” But as a local church we continued to hold our services, which drew a regular attendance of over 8,000 people at that time.
During this period, I preached strongly on the prayer of protection in Psalm 91, and the church even gave out little cards with Psalm 91 printed on them to encourage our congregation to pray this prayer every day. I preached by faith on Jehovah Shalom and declared that as a church, the Lord’s word for us in the midst of the SARS epidemic was what He told Gideon: “Do not fear, you shall not die.” By God’s amazing grace, not one person who was attending our church regularly died from this deadly virus. Hallelujah!
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