PS91:10 vs COVID-19, or Psalm 91:10 vs the Virus
Coronavirus has closed down nearly every activity, public event, art show, and sports contest, and has all-but emptied every toilet paper, hand sanitizer or household essentials aisle. Facebook is entertaining, with alternating views of “Run for Your Lives!” and “It’s Nothing but Hype!” Over the last few days, I’ve oft seen Psalm 91:10: “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” I believe Scripture is God-breathed, and I daily find Biblical promises and Truth relevant to life’s struggles and questions, but unless God truly is your "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (PS 46:1), PS 91:10 won't inoculate you against COVD-19. Furthermore, Psalm 91:10 by itself can actually mislead non-believers or those struggling with their faith.
The beginning of Psalm 91 reads, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!’” The Psalm tells of God’s watch-care for those for whom He is a refuge, those abiding in His shelter, in the shadow of His wings, those who trust Him and put their faith in Him. It goes on to say He will deliver us from snares of trappers and deadly pestilences, that His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. In Him we will not fear the terror by night nor the arrow that flies by day. It's safe to reason that in order to be delivered, you must trust in God as your refuge. But is Psalm 91 really saying that no bad thing on earth will ever happen to you if you trust the Lord?
It can be misleading to take a verse out of context without reading the rest of what the chapter or at least the verses around it are saying. I’m no Bible expert, and I could be way off base, but in my view, Psalm 91’s not promising that we won’t experience evil or trouble or plague; it’s saying that they won’t befall us (happen by fate). God is in control, and if He doesn’t ordain it, He allows it. I personally believe that “the snares of trappers” is referring to sin; He ultimately, through Christ, delivers believers from what our sins deserve, though Christians will still likely suffer in this life. Corrie ten Boom experienced evil in the Nazi concentration camps. It’s safe to say this Christian was plagued with deadly pestilences: lice, sickness and evil, even though the Lord was her refuge and strength. In the midst of worldly terror, she had PEACE in Jesus’s Blessed Assurance- that we’re not alone in our disasters, that no matter what befalls us in this world, there’s something more, beyond and above this place.
Many who know, love and trust the Lord will die or suffer the loss of a family member, or their livelihood as a result of this virus or its ripple effects (or any other tragedy). He is our shelter, but I venture to say that no one is immune from tragedy in this world. It’s likely that the Christian you know who seems so happy, calm, carefree… peace-filled in an age of hysteria, has at some point experienced pain you’ll never know, but in it and through it- nay, because of it- has come to experience God’s love and power to comfort, console and heal, His real presence to walk with us through trauma and trouble, and deliver us from the power of sin and/or darkness in our lives.
Taking one verse alone, in this case one basically saying, “with God nothing bad will ever happen to you,” is misleading. If a Christian posts Ps 91:10 on Facebook, then catches the virus and dies, unbelievers find proof and support for their unbelief; likewise, believers who don’t study Scripture or have a personal relationship with God which transcends life’s circumstances, will find a stumbling block, a reason to doubt their faith because they don’t see the entirety of what’s being promised. If we believe that God only allows good for His people, then bad things happen, it contradicts Psalm 91:10, but not PS 91 as a whole.
Although some misguided religion has likely been founded upon PS 91:13, I don’t know any Christians who tread upon lions and cobras, because if you read it in context with the rest of the chapter, God’s not purposing us to play with or court physical danger; He’s enabling us to trust that He’s with us through life’s traumas. It’s confusing, but when I read Psalm 91 as a whole, I see God is telling believers to trust that He’s with us through hardships, not that He’s going to remove them from our experience. He says, “I will be with him in trouble.” It says that even though 1000's of people fall around you, it won't come near you. If they’re falling down next to you, you’re in the thick of things. He’s saying that no matter what happens here, we can be certain of His presence and His love for us, that no matter the physical outcome, our eternal place with Him is safe and assured.
The point is that if He is your refuge, the Lord is with you no matter what befalls you, you have certainty of His love and total trust in His will. That, like Corrie ten Boom, even if you’re in dire circumstances, starving, covered in filth and facing death, you’re not only certain that He’s with you, but you can live as a light to others, to show them His love and promise, even to those hurting you, “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Tragedies happen to believers, but because we love and trust and find refuge in Him, He delivers us from the sting and finality of death, from the need to grip the steering wheel of this frail life with white, fearful knuckles and a look of dread. We can open our hands to accept what He’s allowed and praise Him, and through that, we can offer hope and His love to others in the midst of suffering.
We don’t live recklessly, nor do we buy 50 rolls of toilet paper or hand sanitizers; we take careful health precautions in the face of this pandemic, but we don’t live under total fear of the pestilence of this virus, for God is in control. Corrie was spared, while her sister died in the camp. Both believed. Both were filled with and reflected the love of Christ on those around them; both found refuge in the Lord and He delivered them both from the snares and pestilences of this world.