11 Scriptures to Comfort and Encourage You During COVID-19

Welcome to The COVID-19 Devotionals | Day 10! Today, we are sharing 11 Scriptures to Comfort and Encourage You During COVID-19. During tough times like the one we are enduring currently, I find God’s word to be a great source of comfort and encouragement. How about you?

Like many churches and many ministries around the world, our men’s ministry has had to leverage technology to stay connected. At my home church, Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, I’m honored to help lead and happy to be part of a growing men’s ministry. In recent years, our church has weathered numerous difficult storms and recently survived an extremely severe season. Our hearts were broken, but our spirit, with the help of God, endured.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we started meeting weekly on ZOOM. Praise God for providing us the means to meet with one another and for the gracious hospitality of one of our brothers in Christ lending us his virtual space. While we each miss meeting in person, we’ve had a good time being able to meet in this way.

This morning, we spent time listening to one another as each man shared a Bible verse or short passage that has helped him navigate the murky waters associated with social distancing and doing our best to stay home. COVID-19 has thrown our individual and collective worlds into a tailspin. We took comfort in reminding each other that this grave virus did not catch our Creator off guard. COVID-19 did not surprise God. While we might be shaken, God remains securely seated on His throne.

In a previous post, I shared David’s words from Psalm 34: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” It is said that David penned the words to Psalm 34 after experiencing a moment of personal embarrassment as he tried to avoid death at the hands of one of his enemies by pretending to be insane.

Challenging times can make us do crazy things like rush to the store to buy up all the toilet paper and paper towels that we can find on the store shelves. Fear can cause us to act foolishly or different from the way we might behave otherwise. God’s Word can help us keep our hearts, souls, and minds focused on the right things and comfort us about the reality we face.

One of the men shared the words of the prophet Isaiah 26:20:

Come, my people, enter your chambers,

    and shut your doors behind you;

hide yourselves for a little while

    until the fury has passed by.

Another brother shared the comforting words of Paul recorded in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5:

Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

We spent time contemplating the words of Psalm 91 and a number of other passages of Scripture. It is good for brothers-and sisters-in Christ to turn to God’s word for comfort and encouragement. If these times don’t make you break out your Bible, I’m honestly not sure what will. I need God today more than ever.

You and I may not know all the whys and hows surrounding this pandemic that has been unleashed on our world. We know the days ahead are going to be difficult as we continue to see the numbers of infected and deceased increase. We know that the peak of the wave is still in front of us. The darkest days of this virus still lay ahead.

While the future is uncertain, we know tomorrow will come. The world post COVID-19 will undoubtedly look different in many ways from life as we knew it in January 2020. But one thing is for sure…God will still be present among us and continue watchfully looking after us, guiding us and giving us direction, as we march forward into our new normal. He has neither forgotten nor forsaken us. The Lord remains trustworthy and faithful.

Here are 11 Scriptures intended to provide you comfort and help you stay encouraged as you and those you love navigate the days that lie ahead in our battle against COVID-19:

1. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7 (NIV)
2. Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1 (ESV)
3. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
4. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Psalm 46:1-2 (NASB)
5. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (HCSB)
6. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:25-26 (ESV)
7. ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)
8. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
9. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV)
10. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (ESV)
11. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. Philippians 1:27 (NIV)

These are just a few of the many rich words found in God’s word that can provide comfort, encouragement, and focus as we walk through uncharted territory together. While the waters ahead appear deep and dark, remember that in Jesus Christ, we have hope.  John declared that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Reflection Questions:

1. What passage of Scripture have you been meditating on during the COVID-19 crisis?
2. How is your church staying connected during the COVID-19 pandemic?
3. In what ways has the Lord revealed himself to you during this crazy time?
4. What blessings have you discovered during this trial?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, hallowed be Your name. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us of our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.

I pray that you find comfort and encouragement through this post and in God’s word.

Be well.

May God’s peace wash over you in these challenging days we are experiencing together.

Prayerfully,

The Devotional Guy™

To experience life the way God intended, you and I must receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. This gift from God is available to all who ask. Will you personally receive the gift of eternal life so that you can experience the total forgiveness from your sins that come through believing in the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13