Daily, it seems, we are inundated with messages from
every imaginable type of business, from banks to insurance companies to tour
guides to vitamin distributors to automobile dealerships– all expressing their
response to the current crisis creating havoc across our land. Throughout the world, churches and other
Christian ministries have curtailed their public activities out of a concern to
cooperate with efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 and to mitigate its
potential impact upon us all.
Looking through the lens of a biblical worldview,
how should Christians view this present crisis? It is easy to be driven by a
fear that belies our professed faith in the Lord. Or, on the other extreme, it is possible to
ignore the present realties and act as if Christians are impervious to the
potential impact of the coronavirus threat.
Neither response reflects a truly biblical perspective. So what should we do and think? The essence of a Christian response will
include the following dimensions.
First, rest
in the sovereignty of God. The God who
spoke the universe into existence continues to providentially direct the course
of history. The inception of this
pandemic is no more of a disruption of God’s plan than were the Ten Plagues
that rained down upon the Egyptians as a means of freeing Israel from
slavery. The Lord gave Job a strong lesson
in the realities of life, reminding him that God’s infinite power, dominion,
and wisdom providentially direct all that happens, from arranging the constellations
of the stars to the movement of mammoth sea creatures to when mountain goats
give birth. Nothing happens in this
universe apart from the sovereign will of God, including the spread of
Covid-19. Humanly speaking, the actions
of Chinese government officials may have initially facilitated the spread of
the virus, but ultimately God was accomplishing His purposes.
Second, recognize
the fragility of life in this world.
Millions who a month ago may have been living a care-free life, without
regard for the possibility of imminent sickness and death, are now overwhelmed
with concern for themselves and their loved ones. Nothing like a pandemic to bring a solid dose
of a reality which has been the message of Scripture for generations! Over 2500 years ago Isaiah declared, “All
flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because
the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely people are grass” (40:6-7). In light of this tenuous hold on life, we
should pray Moses’ words in Ps. 90, “So teach us to number our days, that we
may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Third, realize
that Covid-19 is not a sign that the end is near. There are enterprising, self-styled prophecy
experts who seek to capitalize on every major upheaval in society as a sign that
the “end times” have come upon us.
Newspaper editors and internet news sites have long known the axiom that
“If It Bleeds, It Leads.” I.e.,
sensational news stories about big trouble are a surefire way to attract
readers. And so such stories invariably
make the headlines. Given this reality, we
must resist efforts to claim that this current pandemic is a sign of the end any
more than were the 14th-century plague of Black Death, the 18th-century Yellow Fever outbreak, the 19th-century
Cholera Pandemic, and the early 20th-century Spanish Flu. These periods of intense disease killed many
millions. It is estimated that the
Spanish Flu alone killed at least 50 million worldwide, a number that dwarfs
even worse-case scenarios for Covid-19.
And fourth, redeem
the opportunities this crisis affords. Paul
wrote to the Ephesians, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but
as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The curse of sin is manifesting itself in
unusual ways these days. But we who know Christ are charged with living
carefully and wisely, taking advantage of the open doors for ministry that God
provides. While we are not able to
maintain “business as usual” public gatherings right now, God is still at work
and using His people. Let us be praying
for His guidance in these regards and for His purposes to be accomplished. He will be glorified through Covid-19 in ways
we could not have anticipated. Let us,
therefore, remember to pray what Jesus taught us: “Hallowed be Your name. Your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
And remember that God works through the hearts of kings and those with
civil authority (Prov. 21:1), so let us be praying for them to be filled with
wise guidance as we navigate these uncharted waters.
