It has been a challenging week, to be sure. First the panic related to the spreading of the coronavirus and the subsequent panic in the stock market, which has caused stocks to fall more than 15% off their previous highs in just a matter of days. Then you add to those dismal events the ongoing rancor amid the political debates and the continuing air of pessimism that seems to permeate much of our culture.
These are really good, God-given tests for all of us who are believers in Jesus Christ. It’s easy to say we trust and hope in God when all is well. When our health is good and our bank accounts and investment accounts are flush, the anchors of our trust and hope are more difficult to determine. Are we really trusting the Lord as our source of well-being and satisfaction, or are we subtly trusting more in our health and wealth for our present and future happiness?
I thank the Lord for his lovingkindness in testing our faith from time to time. Without such tests, we might not know where our true hope lies. And so it is in the present moment with the possibility of a pandemic outbreak of the coronavirus or a prolonged decline in the stock market, which could wipe out the financial security of most of us.
The Psalmist puts it clearly and powerfully into perspective (Psalm 33:16-22):
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
We cannot and should not put our ultimate hope in the medical community or in science to thwart the threat of a pandemic outbreak, nor should we put our hope and trust in the security of financial wealth.
The Lord, in His mercy, tests us to help us put our hope and trust solely in Him—for our good and for His glory!
Hoping in God,
Tim
Tim Tomlinson
President
Prayer Requests:
- Please continue to pray for the Board of Trustees as they search for our next president. Pray that the Lord would raise up a clear top candidate who will be able to lead us into the future.
- Please pray also that the Lord, in His mercy, would grant all of us a strong and sure hope in Him—and not in the things of the world that so often tempt us to put our hope in them.
- And, as always, please keep praying for our school’s finances. There are many institutions of higher learning out there that are struggling over financial matters. We thank the Lord that He has provided what we have needed so far.