Posted by • Dec 28, 2020
One night a few months ago, as I was moving about my house, all of a sudden I felt very tired and my body felt very weak. I felt so faint that I had to lie down. I even vomited a few times. I went to see a doctor, who directed me to go to a hospital. It was a long wait until I finally got my blood test done.
The blood test result indicated that my body sodium levels were low, and they put me on an IV drip to raise my sodium levels. Also, given the time of the moment, (It was during that time when numbers of covid-19 infections were increasing rapidly and Movement Control Order was implemented by the government) there was the concern that I might have the coronavirus, and I was placed in an isolated ward just in case. They kept me there in the hospital to monitor my condition, to see if I would develop any serious symptoms characteristic of a covid-19 patient.
I was generally feeling better after being put on the IV drip. However, on the subsequent days, when I started coughing in the night and found blood mixed with my phlegm in the morning, I started to worry that I might really have the coronavirus after all. I spent time reading the Bible, praying, and worshipping God to build up my faith and to anchor on peace. It was a good thing that I was placed in an isolation ward, for I could pray and worship in the privacy of my room.
It was when I was reading a passage of scripture that my mom shared with me from a devotional reading, that God spoke His Rhema word to me. The scripture was from 2 Chronicles 20, when a vast army of Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against King Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat turned to God and cried out to Him, saying, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicle 20:12) These words reflect the cry of my heart, for I felt powerless against this ‘army’ of coronavirus! I do not know what to do either, but to fix my eyes on Jesus.
The Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, and he said these words which leap right out of the page of my Bible and into the core of my being. “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17)
It was as if God was saying to me personally, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the coronavirus. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” God’s Word gave me the faith, the peace, the assurance and the strength that I needed for the rest of my time at the hospital. After that, even when I continued to display certain symptoms, I was not worried or anxious. The symptoms did not get worse, and a couple of days later, the doctor gave me the green light to return home.
Hearing God speak to me through His Word was a blessing especially when I was facing a “battle” and needed His strength and encouragement. I was never really alone in that isolation ward, for God was with me. Even as I go through life and encounter challenging and difficult times, it is God’s Word that refreshes and renews me, strengthens and sustains me, empowers me and sees me through. For that I am humbled and thankful.