Do the Numbers Scare You? {Psalm 91:7-8}

Don’t let the numbers scare you. Despite the many, remember that you are the one being protected by the One.

Continue reading with us in Psalm 91.

Fear of Numbers

Maybe you’ve been on a physical battlefield in a foreign country. Or maybe like me you’ve only seen it pictured on the big screen or in photos in books.

Devastation has hit. Bodies are everywhere. Too many to count.

I think of the hospital scenes in New York this month. I look at the COVID-19 statistics today. The numbers are frightening.

• Are there more or less cases today than yesterday?
• How many have died now?
• Where is the latest hot spot?

The economic numbers are also discouraging. Unemployment is up. Stock markets are down. Bank accounts are dwindling.

Read Psalm 91:7-8. What image does it conjure up for you? Does it remind you of the world now?

7  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8  You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.

Suffering is a universal experience, in all places, in any year. As believers in Christ, we aren’t immune from suffering.

So what does the psalmist mean when he says that it won’t come near us?

Remember the One

While our bodies are just as susceptible to destruction as any other, our souls are not as susceptible. They are protected.

Our immunity doesn’t rest in the physical (although God can still perform miracles there also). Our advantage comes in the peace of God’s presence in us and around us.

God knows the numbers. He counts each one as valuable. Including you.

He sees you as His important one, and you can count on Him as the One for shelter.

God is the God of one-on-one.

Never Alone

As tens of thousands get COVID-19, we hear of patients dying alone in the hospital. We may fear that for ourselves or for those we love.

But we need to remember we are never alone.

God is our go-between.

Suffering may feel close, but God is always closer.

He sandwiches Himself between us and our sufferings. He won’t leave us alone on the battlefield. He cushions us when we go down and lifts us back up to new life again.

As you follow along in Psalm 91 with us (and memorize, too), be comforted this week of this: even among thousands and tens of thousands that fall around you, God hasn’t forgotten about you. He still counts every hair on your head. He will never abandon you to destruction.

In Christ, we remain more than conquerors. On this battlefield or on any other. Nothing can pull us away from Him (Romans 8:31-39).

He is God, and there is no other. He is God, and there is none like Him (Isaiah 46:9).

The main number we need to watch? The One.

Also read Jennifer’s post, “Never Alone”

See all our posts here on Psalm 91.

• How to Shelter-in-Place in God With the 9-1-1 of Psalms {Psalm 91:1-2}
• Don’t Take the Fear Bait—Much to Lose, But More to Gain {Psalm 91:3-4}
• Vulnerable or Safe? Both {Psalm 91:5-6}

How are the numbers in your state? Has the curve flattened? How are you keeping your eyes focused on the One? Please share in the comments.