By James S. Eagles, President, Intercede International
“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 snareand 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.” Psalm 91:1-6 (NIV).
Early in the morning hours of the fall of 2018 I heard the Lord Jesus speak to me these words: “A reign of terror is coming to Canada.” At the time, I interpreted this to mean that terrorists were going to attack Canada in a big way. I was very troubled by what I heard and I prayed and told the Lord that I did not want my loved ones and our nation to be attacked by terrorists. But as we entered into 2019 I sensed I needed to understand just what the Lord meant.
Then in December 2019 and January 2020 the News began to report on the Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. In January and February I was traveling across Canada attending mission conferences and I began to research the word “Terror” in the Old and New Testament. In the KJV Bible most references to the word “terror” are found in the Old Testament. I was surprised to find out that although many uses of the word terror, in context, refer to war, many references in Scripture also refer to pandemic diseases otherwise referred to as “pestilence.” Then I finally understood the Lord’s message to me. He was preparing me (and many Christians) to be ready for what was coming upon our nation and the whole world. Disease—as Jesus referred to many times in the signs of the end of the age in the Gospels.
But the good news is that the REIGN of the “Disease” called COVID-19 will END one day. And as Psalm 91 teaches us, and the Lord’s warning to me also, that as Christians we don’t have to be found under the “Terror” of it. Fear is often a greater enemy even than the disease itself. As Christians we must and should do everything we can to honour the legal and government health recommendations and requirements as law-abiding Christians. But one thing we do not have to be under is the reign of fear—that is, the Terror associated with the disease. Many of our Brethren around the world are being affected by the disease in terms of the disease itself, and its impact on their society causing unemployment and lack of supplies and services. But the Lord’s people here in North America this past year have been wonderfully sacrificial and intentional in their Giving to Missions. May you know how blessed you are for ministering to Christ’s Body with your Prayers and Gifts to aid our Brethren in many nations.
Our times are in God’s Hand, and once we have done all we can to show safety and precaution, the Lord Himself will handle the rest for us. Our time to go home to be with our Creator and Saviour is in His Hands and that should give every one of us peace to go forward in the confidence of Psalm 91.
“‘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.’” Psalm 91:14-16 (NIV).
Sincerely for His Eternal Kingdom,
James S. Eagles, President, Intercede International
