Country Living -- God in the Midst of Plagues

I can’t take credit for this blog today. This isn’t from a ministry or church. It is an email I received from “Country Living” magazine and it encouraged me to know they know how to lift our spirits and give us the answer to everything -- the promises of God. This is their article, verbatim. Only missing are the plaques that carried the scriptures about God in the midst of plagues:

"When diseases or natural disasters ravage our world, it can be confusing and scary. It can also be hard to understand where God and your faith fits in the midst of grief and uncertainty. You might find yourself wondering if you are experiencing the types of plagues described in the Bible and unsure if this just happened because the world is imperfect. Or you might hear people saying that it’s a form of punishment and find yourself uncertain what to believe. The truth is, we don’t know why these tragic things happen. But we do know that while God allows them, He is a God of comfort, and the plagues found in the Bible are only a small piece of a larger story—a redemptive rescue mission that culminates with Jesus and the gospel. We can take great comfort that we are not alone in any hardships we may face. The Bible is full of reassurances of God’s love, sovereignty, faithfulness, and protection. These are just a small handful of the verses about who God is amidst uncertainty.

--16 Uplifting Bible Verses About God in the Midst of Plagues--
~~ Deuteronomy 31:8 -- “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
~~ John 16:22 -- "So, with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."
~~ Joshua 1:9 -- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
~~ Psalm 23:4 -- "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
~~ Psalm 4:8 -- "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe."
~~ Psalm 46:1 -- "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!"
~~ Psalm 46:10 -- “Be still, and know that I am God!"
~~ Psalm 56:3 -- "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you."
~~ Psalm 91 -- "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely, he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.'"
~~ Isaiah 41:10 -- "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
~~ Jeremiah 29:11-13 -- " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.' "
~~ Jeremiah 17:14 -- "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise."
~~ Matthew 11:28 -- "Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.' "
~~ 2 Corinthians 1:10 "And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us."
~~ 1 John 5:14 -- "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

Thank you, Country Living magazine, for giving us exactly what we need to conquer and win during these times and all times!

The Emergency Alert System

If you carry a cell phone, I’m sure you received this alert a couple of days ago. And, in case we think this was a President Trump knee-jerk decision to send out personal texts – au contraire! President Obama signed a law in 2016 that required FEMA to create a system that allowed the president to send cell phone alerts regarding public safety emergencies. They did it! It’s already used for natural disasters or missing children alerts that we can opt out of, but no one can opt out of the presidential alert system. The president has sole responsibility for determining when such alerts are to be used. But don’t check your text messages expecting to hear President Trump’s opinion on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process or other news. The presidential alerts can be used only for national emergencies.

My, how far we’ve come. In a matter of seconds, everyone who owns a cell phone can receive a message that could save our lives. I’m thankful for warning systems. The dashboard lights in my car, smoke detectors in my home, even the little bumps in the road that let me know when I’m crossing over into another lane. If there’s any device or object that’s able to warn me of danger or impending catastrophe, I want it working for me.

In the Lord’s perfect design, we are equipped with a warning system to keep us from danger and harm. Pain is a warning system. When we first experience that pain, it may not feel like a blessing, but it’s really a gift from God. We know something is physically wrong when our body hurts. But more than that, pain is God’s way of protecting us. Maybe it’s as simple as needing to drink more water, get more rest, making better food choices, and/or getting into some fitness routines.

From a spiritual perspective, we have another built-in warning system – our conscience. Just as pain warns us of physical danger to our body, our conscience warns us about the potential threat to our morals and values. Our conscience alone can’t save us. It’s merely a warning device. And unless it has been guarded and trained, it won’t be able to alert us to spiritual danger. A malnourished, confused, and underdeveloped conscience won’t be able to protect us. In fact, it could actually lead us to immorality and regrets.

Yesterday I talked about training our spiritual muscles. That training can be applied to training our conscience like our physical and spiritual muscles. It needs to be developed and protected and sharpened. Living a life of freedom, joy, peace, hope, and love is possible and that’s why God made sure to give us such amazing warning systems. My Mom’s famous line was “Let your conscience be your guide”. Those were her parting words when I went out with my girlfriends or boyfriend. Those words served me well as they were loud in my ears and kept me on the straight and narrow path. May we heed God’s warning signals and alerts.

Never do we want to ignore His warning system. It’s his love call and his love language. He loves us too much to leave us.