Where do you go in times of crisis like what we all are experiencing right now in America and around the world? Six weeks ago everything seemed to be going along well; the economy was great, kids were in school looking forward to graduation and summer vacation, we were planning where we would go this year on vacation, jobs were secure and then suddenly everything stopped ------ something called Corona Virus or Covid 19 crept into our lives, almost overnight it seemed. Our "little worlds" started to unravel. People started getting seriously ill, some died and some are still dying. Old folks, like me, were told to stay in our homes because we were more susceptible. So, in we went and in we have stayed (5 weeks for me). We can't even hug our children or our grandchildren. This is a plague we have never experienced before. Maybe a hundred years ago in 1917 our grandparents experienced the Spanish flu, we have heard their stories. Many died during that time. Somehow this plague is different; more people in the country, more over crowded conditions, etc. Now everything is closing, only grocery stores, drugstores and filling stations are open.
It seems like life as we have always known it has stopped. The word for these days is: "Stay home" or "wash your hands". Now authorities are telling us to wear a mask if we have to go out.
What do we do in a situation like this? God's answer is in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from HEAVEN will heal their land." WOW! Do you think that God is trying to get our attention? This is His call for revival, folks! It is time we, as the Church, start paying attention to what God is trying to tell us and to warn us about. A principal of scripture is that God always give us grace before judgment so that mankind will wake up, repent and turn back to Him. Could judgment be on its way? Something to think about!
One thing I do know is that we serve a living, grace-giving God. It is His desire that all would repent and come to Him. He is the omnipotent (all Powerful) God. He is in control of this universe, He is the omniscient (all knowing) God and He sees what is ahead. He is also the omnipresent (always with us) God who has told us that He will never leave us or forsake us, no matter the circumstances.
However, there is a catch to all this. You have to trust Him as your personal Savior and have a relationship that is daily and up-to-date. He loves for us to take the time to get to know Him through His Word and learn to trust Him completely. So, what do we do in crisis? Shall we Panic? No! Should we ask, "why me”? No! Should we walk away and blame God? No! When our world falls apart we should run to Him in prayer and total trust, knowing that His promises are true and that Romans 8:28-29 is just as relevant as the day Paul wrote it. "And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." God uses trials in our life to grow us up in the Lord, to teach us how to really trust Him, to make our response more like Jesus. As we go through this pandemic keep looking to the Lord, trusting how very much He loves you and knows what is best for each one of us. Remember--we are not in charge--He is. By His grace He will bring us through.