The prophet Isaiah can counsel us as we go through the COVID-19 crisis together. Today I want to give you two passages of Scripture. Two passages that inform one another. The first is Isaiah 26:3 and the second is Isaiah 46:10:

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’ (Isaiah 46:10)

Allow me to harmonize these two passages for you. Let's start with Isaiah 46:10. We serve a God, according to the Scriptures that has declared the end from the very beginning. That is another way of saying He is absolutely sovereign. Before the foundation of the earth, our Triune God declared that His counsel stand. He declared that He would do that which brings Him pleasure. And this is good. It is good because we serve a good God who accomplishes His good purpose by flipping evil on its head. We have evidence in Scripture that the Lord has always worked in this way (see the story of Joseph or Job for example).

But this begs the question, 'what is God's good purpose for you?' There is so much death and sickness, what could God bring out of that?

Nearness.

In the midst of being very discouraged because of his own suffering and affliction, Asaph almost becomes paralyzed in fear and depression until He worshipped the Lord:

But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works. (Psalm 73:28 NKJV)

In the midst of this pandemic, the Lord is giving you an opportunity to experience His nearness. And as we reflect on God's absolute sovereignty our peace can be increased. Isaiah promises that the Lord keeps us in perfect peace when our thinking is fixed on Him- when we are near Him. Our nearness to Him declares our trust in Him.

Dear Christian, don't wast this quarantine. Don't waste the freedom in your schedule. Draw near to God.