In exalting us God makes us small. He replaces our old, proud, self-reliant, independent heart and life with a heart after His, and the life of Christ.

Raised with Christ in the regeneration, you (sinful you) died, and Christ is your life (Colossians 3:1-4).

The old must go and the new must live because God will not share His singular divine glory with any, even His exalted elect. Heaven and heaven’s salvation is all about One Who is God and Savior and His praise. The proud who would be God have no place with God.

For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15).

God’s work of humbling us is ongoing. It is a further blessing of exaltation. Humbling is for further exaltation. For less of self is more of God and Christ. This is the greatest thing, our greatest joy.

For Christ’s sake the God Who glorifies us humbles us.

Corona virus is an agent of this our humiliation.

To be sure, Corona virus is a thug.

This whole world has been thugged and mugged by a bug.

Bug thugs, little microscopic scourges, even these God uses to remind us of our frail humanity, teaching the teachable of the bugs and thugs and demons and damnation of hell they deserve, and

Giving grace to the humble (I Peter 5:5).

Why? That they might be humbler, so that they might, in their present glorification-- enduring with patience the shut-down of the economy, believing with all confidence in the God Who is our life--give all the more praise to their Maker, Redeemer, and Friend.

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you ( I Peter 5:6).

For such a time as this.

With you in Him, confiding in the Savior and His truth and love,