The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life for everyone. The virus is microscopic. It’s been called an invisible enemy. How can we defend ourselves, our families, and our ministries against something we can’t see? I’ll tell you how – run to the secret place and teach others to do the same.
Psalm 91:1 says He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The phrase secret place is cether in Hebrew. It means a covering place or a place of protection. This Old Testament reference to the secret place specifically has to do with a covenant benefit.
A Better Covenant
The psalmist penned the words of Psalm 91:1 from the perspective of the Old Covenant, but Hebrews 8:6 tells us that we have a better one. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:6) Let’s think of just a few examples of how God protected His people in the Old Testament.
· God protected His Covenant people from the Pharaoh’s army as they crossed the Red Sea.
· God guarded Daniel in the lion’s den.
· The Lord shielded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
· Gideon set his nation free from the oppressive Midianites with a small army.
· Jehoshaphat defeated not one, not two, but three armies that surrounded Judah.
Time and time again, we read about God's divine intervention to save, deliver, protect, and provide as part of His Covenant with Abraham. But our Covenant with him, sealed in the blood of Jesus, is even better. If God protected His people from conquering armies, He can and will defend His people today from an invading virus.
The Power of the Shadow
Shadows, in the natural realm, are powerless. A shadow on the ground or a wall cannot do anything to you, but the shadow of the Almighty makes miracles happen. When Mary, a virgin, asked the angel how she could have a child, the angel answered, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35) The shadow of the Almighty still produces miracles of provision and protection – including protection from plagues or what we today call pandemics. The King James Version of Psalm 91:3 refers to them as a pestilence.
You Do It
He that dwelleth implies that some may and others may not be in His secret place. Those who do what God’s Word says will find themselves abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. What do we need to do?
The first thing we need to do is run to the secret place, not to the news or social media, or the most popular series on Netflix. Get yourself to a place of prayer, praise, and worship. Open up your Bible and read God's Word. Stop looking outward for the power of God. His Holy Spirit is in you, and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
The second thing we need to do is say the right things. To be in the secret place of protection under the miraculous power of the Almighty, we must guard our mouths and speak only what is acceptable to God. The psalmist expounded on this in another place when he wrote, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) Psalm 91 tells precisely what to say.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. (Psalm 91:2-10)
Coronavirus is a pestilence and a plague. It is of the devil. He is the one who steals, kills, and destroys but those who dwell in the secret place and who say what God’s Word says shall be protected.
Say of the Lord
Leader, watch what you say, and instruct those who follow you to do the same. Declare God's Word by faith regardless of what you see in the natural. Say of the Lord; You are my refuge. You are my fortress. You are my God, and in You, I trust. You will save me from every trap the devil sets and from every sickness, disease, and plague. You cover me with your feathers, and under Your wings, I find protection. Your Word is my defensive and offensive weapon. I resist fear. I will not fear news reports or others' situations. The plague may attack all around me, but I declare it will not come near me or my household. Thank You for my Covenant in Jesus' blood. Thank You that by Jesus' stripes, I was healed. (1 Peter 2:24) Thank you for Your perfect love that casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) Thank You for the victory I have because I trust in You, in Jesus' name.