Who would have ever imagined that a little germ which cannot be seen with the human eye, has put the entire globe in a tizzy, a panic, and an economic disruption? I have not seen a pandemic of this magnitude in my lifetime and, when this first emerged, I was one of the gainsayers who could not believe it would cripple our world to this extent. Questions abound, conspiracy theories are propagated, and fear has run rampant throughout the world as the entire globe responds to the pandemic. Will there be a cure, or will this continue to be a scourge in our world? If this little virus trespasses into my physical body, what is the chance of survival? Will it affect any of my loved ones? The questions are innumerable. Where it has come from has been theorized by many, but does anyone really know? Where is God in the whole thing? Did it surprise Him? Is it God’s judgment on humanity? These and many other questions are being asked by many sincere people and the answers that are given often contradict one another.
One of the outfalls of the pandemic is the government invasion into the church and our personal lives in a way that has been unprecedented in my and your lifetime. Suddenly, we are faced with decisions that many of us have not thought through. When, and how much, should the government mandate things in our lives when we clearly believe in separation of Church and state? What are my rights? What will I do if I lose my business? Will I cash in the stimulus check that is supposed to arrive in the mail in the near future?
There is a verse in Peter that reminds me that if anyone should have answers in this time of pandemic, we as Christians should. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: –1Pe 3:15. We may not know the origin of the virus, nor the outcome, but we do know Who knows all things, and that it was not a surprise to Him. It is the right time to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who holds all things by the power of His Word. If anytime in recent history the Christian has an opportunity to be salt in the earth and light in the world, it is during this time of upheaval. So, what should the response of the Christian be?
Consider this verse in Luke: Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth… –Luk 21:26. For the Christian, earthquakes, famines, and pestilence should be no surprise since they have been prophesied to us through the Word of God. And while these things are happening and will happen, God has provided clear scriptural mandates for us as Christians to follow. We are clearly commanded in the scripture to not worry about tomorrow: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof –Mat 6:34.
So, we as Jesus’ disciples know that God will give us wisdom and grace for the difficulties of today. We are commanded to not borrow tomorrow’s troubles. We need to be reminded once again, in this time, as always, God will provide grace for today that will be great enough to sustain peace in the midst of the storm, and will provide it tomorrow if we live. Let us learn a lesson from Peter and the disciples—to focus on Jesus. We need to trust Jesus even when He seems to be asleep in the boat, rather than focusing on the storm that is raging all around us. Jesus was in control whether he was sleeping or awake and still is. But we might say, “How do I know if I will have food or clothing, or my business tomorrow?” And again, we hear the Savior say, “Look at the lilies, the fowls of the air, and learn a lesson from them!” We cannot even do some of the simplest things by God’s estimation, like add a cubit to our stature, so why would we try to deal with the hard things of providing for a tomorrow that is out of our control? Do these commands fit for the year 2020 and the pandemic that we are facing? I am sure that, in theory, we can agree, but can we internalize these verses and make them a very prominent place in our lives today?
There are principles given in God’s Word that, if we have not embraced them, we will also ‘reel in a tizzy’ when faced with things like the pandemic that is completely out of our control. One of those principles is the clear teaching that suffering is a way of life for the follower of Jesus. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together –Rom 8:17.
The ‘health and wealth’ gospel that is peddled by many preachers today is a false doctrine and can leave a person reeling when they are faced with health or economic loss. We need to be okay with suffering, we need to embrace it; we need to arm ourselves with the same mind as Christ. The loss of our business, home and yes, even our own lives also, by economic disaster, storms, or accidents is not outside the realm of the will of God for the Christian. We know that God can eliminate any of these calamities and will protect us from them all IF He so wills. But whether He does or not is God’s prerogative and we are the happiest IF we surrender our lives completely to Him in faith, and trust Him to keep us, whether with little or with much.
Another principle we need to reckon with is that we have no rights except the right to the Tree of Life. For us as Christians it makes little difference if we are citizens of the United States or not. We have many privileges for which we are very grateful for, but we should not think we have a right to own, keep, or buy, or that we have a stake to claim in this world. In the Holy Scriptures we are reminded that we are but pilgrims and strangers here (see Heb 11:13-16). As Abraham and the other patriarchs, we have no abiding city here but look for a city …whose builder and maker is God –Heb 11:10.
There are plenty of lawyers offering to fight for our rights, but the truth of the matter is, our citizenship is in Heaven and we are just ambassadors here and can be kicked out by society and need to leave all anytime without a moment’s hesitation. If this will be a reality, we need to live our lives with all our things held with an open hand. We do not have the right (only the privilege)—to own land, to have enough food, to enjoy good health, and to live without suffering—nor should we fight for those so-called rights, but we, God’s people, must put on the mind of Christ and be willing to leave all behind for the sake of Christ and trust Him completely for our sustenance. Jesus said He sees one sparrow fall to the ground and reminds us that we are worth more than many sparrows. Jesus calls us to hate all that we hold dear here on this earth: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple –Luk 14:26.
As Christians, we do not plan to stay here on this earth; we are anticipating Heaven. The scriptures express this sentiment when it not only considers the whole earth groaning to be delivered from this death and decay, but that we ourselves are also groaning to be delivered. Should there be such a strong pull to be here that our hearts fail us …for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…? –Luk 21:26. Should we much rather cry out “how long Lord Jesus” “so come”? Even as the apostle intimates as he wrestles with being “betwixt two”—For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. –Php 1:23-24. The apostle clearly indicates “having a desire to depart and be with Christ is far better,” and the only thing that holds him here is the fact that there is work to be done.
Another area we should be awake to, is our vulnerability during this time of no church services. We may be tempted to go on-line and be fed spiritually by those who are false prophets or those who teach false doctrine. We need to “try the spirits” and know whose feet we are sitting at. Be selective to whom you might listen, or from whom you might allow your family to take nourishment. We, as fathers, are called to lead and lead we must. The burden is on our shoulders to help our families navigate through these uncertain times. We as fathers may need to be more proactive during this time. It is a call to us to rise up and lead our wives and children. Not only do we have to watch “whose feet we are sitting at”, but we need to lead our families with confidence, calling them to trust in God, and leading them in prayers of faith. We need to provide them with an example of faith and trust in God that no amount of buffeting will shake. This time of upheaval will not knock us off our feet IF we are rooted and grounded in Christ.
At a time like this, we need to make wise decisions, even decisions concerning the future, but still refrain from falling into the panic mode and running around as if we have no Heavenly Father. We also need to lead our families in being careful not to believe everything that one hears, but to be aware of where our news is coming from and to consider how reliable it is. Conspiracy theories abound concerning how this virus started and the political agenda theorized to be behind it. Refrain from spending time following these conspirators and rather follow the scripture mandate, “casting down imaginations.” The simple truth is this, we do not know, and if we did know it still should not change the way we live and our overall response. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind. John tells us to not “believe every spirit, but to try the spirits to see whether they be of God.”
I believe that this is an awesome opportunity to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters by praying for one another and by staying in touch so that we can ‘weep with those that weep’ and ‘rejoice with those that rejoice’. Some of us have jobs and some do not. God’s Word tells us that those who have are to give to those who do not have so that there may be an equality. It is a time to reach out to the elderly in our church or community and stay in touch by mail or phone. This is a time in which the lonely will only get lonelier. A cheery word, or a letter in the mail, and whatever other resources you can appropriately use may be just the thing that those around you need.
During the times of mandatory “stay at home”, there is a whole group of our society that will face challenges that they have not seen up to this time. According to various news sources there has been an increase in domestic violence since family members are spending much more time together than they normally do. But let this not once be named among us. This is the time for us as God’s children to maximize on “in home” relationships. The Bible calls us to “redeem the time” and this can be done by making the most of our time together as a family. Spend time together—reading the Bible, praying together, singing together, and just simply doing enjoyable things together—things that will nurture growth and love in our relationships. We need to be creative as fathers in bringing our family together in a way that will produce an atmosphere of unity and oneness.
One question that begs an answer is this, “Should the government dictate whether we have church or not?” This is something we need to answer since for some areas of the country it is more than a suggestion but has become mandatory. I believe that since the suggestion/order to not meet together during this time is for the purpose of not spreading a virus that is quite contagious, this then fulfills the scripture “to love our neighbor as ourselves.” It is a good opportunity to show the public that if the mandate does not ask us to violate the scripture, then we choose to honor the government. There may come a time soon enough that we will be asked to do something that we cannot do with a clear conscience and then we will need to stand and “obey God rather than men.”
Some feel a twang of guilt because of the verse, “to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together”, however, this seems to be addressing a habit or a way of life. I suppose this is dealing with the lazy, slothful heart that does not see the benefit of getting together. We want to get together… As soon as we can get together again, we will take advantage of it. There is a big difference between those who cannot get together for a short time and those that choose not to since they do not see the value of it. For the present time, it seems the best testimony to our world and public relations to honor the mandate since they are not fighting against our faith and God. Let’s just take care to not let this become our new normal. Let’s keep our eye on a path forward to once again practically function as a local body.
What can we do? Pray more than ever that God would use this to win the lost and refine the church. Spend time building relationships with those you are closest to and have been encouraged to stay home with. Let this pandemic prepare us for what God has for us in the future. Let us be very careful how we talk about the government and some of the rulings that have come out through this all. We are called to honor the king and we need to spend more time thanking God for our freedoms than maximizing on the negative—I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; –1Ti 2:1-3. For the Christian, …we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose –Rom 8:28.
