Coronavirus and the Christian

17 Mar Coronavirus and the Christian

Scripture

The coronavirus pandemic is dominating the news, as well as the thoughts of many people. As I have monitored the situation carefully for our church and a Christian school board I am on, I have found it helpful to remind myself of several things:

1. This has not caught the Lord off guard. The world is not out of control.  God is still on the throne, and we can trust in Him for the consequences of the pandemic.  Hebrews 3:5-6 says, “He, Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we may confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

And, because He is good, we can trust Him when bad things happen.  Psalm 103:13-14 says, “Just as a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”  He cares for us.  Therefore, we can trust Him.

2. Because God cares for us as a heavenly father, He will still see to it that we may walk closely with Him in the process. We may use this to draw nearer to him.

Scripture says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  (Hebrews 4:15-16, James 4:8)

3. Let’s allow our faith to give us hope and a confident heart in Him and His will. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes.”

Knowing that, it makes it even more encouraging when Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27).

4. Others may be more open to the Lord as a result of this crisis. We can be ready to share our faith when the opportunity arises.

Peter wrote, “Always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”  (1 Peter 3:15)  Then, we can ask God to direct those to us who need to hear the answer.

Prayer

And, of course, we should pray.  I found these points of prayer helpful.

1. Ask God, in his mercy, to moderate the pandemic and save lives in answer to the prayers of His children, not only in our nation, but around the world, particularly in places that are poorly equipped, medically, to cope with the virus. And pray that the world will see the results of all our prayer.
2. Pray for President Trump and other government leaders on the federal, state, and local levels, to have wisdom to direct our nation in the best courses of action for prevention and care.  Pray also for government leaders in other nations, that together the cooperative efforts of all countries could diminish the crisis.
3. Pray that God will give his children confidence in God’s goodness and sovereignty, and that peace will govern our lives rather than fear.  And pray that others would see the difference, and see their need to turn to God.
4. Ask God to protect and bless missionaries and ministries worldwide, that this global crisis could be used to advance the good news to the whole world.

Conclusion

Someone has said, “If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.” Peter wanted to walk on water, and at Jesus invitation, he got out of the boat. But after he was out there, he got his eyes on the circumstances rather than on the Lord, and he began to sink.

Let us keep our eyes on the Lord, not on the circumstances, and may we walk closely with Him as we do.

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