Encouragement and Hope During COVID-19

From HBU President, Dr. Robert Sloan

Houston Baptist University

“Lord, teach us to number our days.” That is the prayer of the Psalmist (90:12) who in difficult
times exhorts the pursuit of wisdom and perspective, which involves honest reflections about life
and its currently harsh circumstances, and also pleads for the Lord his God to rescue him and his
people.

All of us are troubled by the circumstances around us and, as the Psalmist reminds us, we too
need perspective. The pressure of unusual circumstances, sudden changes in our daily routines,
and the necessity of developing new skills—all these things require reflection and the faithful
(re)alignment of our thinking and work toward both the realities around us and the purposes of
the God we serve.

Facing Fears about Health

To gain a wise perspective, we have to face our fears. Fears can be healthy or exaggerated—and
sometimes paralyzing. It takes wisdom to admit that there are dangers around us that need to be
properly, and fearfully, respected, and it takes wisdom to see through the exaggerations and fear-
mongering of those who use the pains of others for their benefit.

And we need to admit to certain specific fears—fears that relate to life and death. The virus that
plagues the world is real. For many people it is life-threatening today, and for all of us it is a life-
threatening prospect. No matter the motives of those who may exaggerate, we are better off by
planning for things to get worse than being caught unprepared. We can always be thankful that
the worst has been averted, but we will be worse off if we haven’t done our best to think through
as many contingencies as possible, and thereby be prepared to face the risks.

All of us know there are basic health practices we must seriously follow, not only for ourselves
but on behalf of others. People who are not in high-risk groups should not only set a good
example for others, but be willing to share the burdens that others feel. Apparently healthy
people, those with no symptoms and no awareness of having the disease, can nonetheless carry it
to others. We owe it to one another to pay attention to each other, to advise one another, to check
on one another, and serve one another. It’s what we believe and confess as Christians, and these
days test us to live out our faith.

Facing Fears about Finances

There’s also a legitimate financial fear that goes with this crisis. It has already begun to produce
financial havoc that has not only hit the stock markets but will have an impact on the underlying
economy for months and months to come. We can be thankful that we’ve had a strong
underlying economy, but it’s certainly going to suffer some shockwaves.

We must be prepared to face up to these financial issues. First, we need to be alert to the needs of
one another and be willing to share our resources.

We can’t possibly know how significant this financial impact will be or how long it will last, but
we are preparing for it, and we call upon ourselves to be good stewards and our friends to help us
and pray for us as we do our best also to serve others in these days.

Facing Fears about Safety

Health fears and financial fears bring with them fears for safety. We have to protect our loved
ones, our children, our parents, the elderly, and all those who fall within the orbit of our love and
care. That’s true of every individual and family member among us, and it’s a mandate that all of
us at the University feel as well for one another and for our students. We must be alert to the
safety needs of those around us.

Fear can promote faith, but there are times when it challenges faith. Numerous places in
Scripture set fear against faith, love, and trust, so we must frankly admit that the fears we’ve
talked about above must (rightly) push us to examine our faith. This is God’s world. It is deeply
flawed and broken, but it is still His good creation (Psalm 24). He has provided for the salvation
of the world through Jesus Christ, and He has promised—and we know it is true—that through
Christ we find forgiveness, peace, and joy; that one day the curse over this broken world will be
lifted at the final return of Christ; and that God will raise the dead in Christ and create a new
heaven and new earth, where there is no more mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:1-4).

People of Hope
We must face these days of fear and testing—not passively accept them or capitulate to them.
These can and should be days of renewed worship, rededicated service, care, friendship, work,
and love. We must be alert to the stranger among us, and we must love one another and be kind
to one another as God in Christ has been merciful to us (Ephesians 4:32-5:2).

To follow Christ is to be a people of hope. And our hope is not in vain, because it is invested in
the creator God of the universe, who has extended Himself lavishly on behalf of His children. He
is worthy of our trust, and He can aid us in conquering our fears. “Be of good cheer,” our Lord
said, just before his own horrific death on our behalf, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

One of my great privileges every day is praying for all of you.