By: Dale Weckbacher
Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell
you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing?
(ESV)
For most of us, the past week has
been full of challenges. While
challenges in life are normal and even something the Lord told us would occur (John
16:33), the challenges faced by many this week are of a nature that can
leave us hopeless and in despair. I am
speaking of the challenges presented by the coronavirus.
My son works for a large grocery store
chain in Phoenix Arizona. This weekend
his store surpassed all their sales expectations with one of his co-workers
equating the weekend to Thanksgiving and Christmas all happening during the
same weekend. The difference, however,
is that the rush brought on by Thanksgiving and Christmas are expected, this
rush was unexpected and brought on by panic as people believed the coronavirus
would shut everything down and that they would be quarantined in their homes
for an indefinite period. As such,
people were hoarding toilet paper, water, and hand sanitizer. Interestingly, food did not seem to be an
object of hoarding.
In Matthew
6:25, Jesus teaches His followers to live without anxiety about life. Jesus goes on to ask those listening to look
at the birds and the flowers in the field (Matthew
6:25-34). I have stood on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee in the spring and saw the beautiful wildflowers and heard
the birds foraging in the fields. These
birds and flowers do not have a care in the world for the Lord provides the
water and sunlight for the flowers, and the birds find food in the fields, all
provided by God.
The current global crisis from
the Corona is serious and we should take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves
and our families. This is especially
true for those with serious health issues.
However, for those that believe in Jesus as their savior, there is no
need to live in despair or hopelessness.
Instead, we need to practice the three Ps of coronavirus survival.
1) Perspective
(Romans
8:28) – Romans
8:28 while true is not a verse providing comfort to those experiencing
potential quarantine or becoming seriously sick with coronavirus. However, it appears in the context of Romans
8:18-30 which speaks of the future glory God’s people will experience. Therefore, the verse should provide comfort
as it reminds us that the temporary struggles life brings like the coronavirus can
have a purpose in our lives. For
example, if this crisis means you cannot go to work or must work from home, it
is an opportunity for more time with family or for Christians, more time in the
study of the Bible or prayer, drawing them closer in their relationship with
God. This makes it possible for us to
have a godly perspective that looks at God as the provider for his creation, including
us (Matthew
6:25-34) instead of a perspective of panic.
2) Preparation
– However, God does not expect us to ignore the seriousness of this crisis and
has given us a mind to plan and prepare for what could occur. The Bible provides two examples of the
importance of preparation for a major project and also for a pending
crisis. David would not be the one to
build the Temple but knowing the inexperience of his son Solomon gathered
stonecutters to prepare stones for the Temple in addition to iron for nails for
the doors, gates, and clamps as well as massive quantities of bronze (1
Chronicles 22:2-5). Joseph followed
the instruction of the Lord provided by a dream to prepare for a seven-year
famine. While Romans
8:28 had not been written, Joseph is the biblical poster boy of one whose
struggles in life worked out for good (Genesis
37-45). He also demonstrates the
importance of planning for a crisis, something leaders often point to when
urging people to properly prepare for struggle and crisis. However, Joseph practiced wise preparation
based upon instruction from God and not panic-driven preparation like the world
is seeing during the coronavirus pandemic.
3) Praise
(Isaiah
55:12) – James
1:2 is another verse that when viewed out of context does not provide
comfort for someone going through a struggle or crisis. However, when viewed in context, it is not telling
one to rejoice for the trial but to rejoice during the trial, knowing it tests
our faith and provides an opportunity to produce steadfast faith and
completeness of life (James
1:2-4). In essence, this verse
provides clarification for Romans
8:28 telling us that the working of good from trials is the strengthening
of our faith through its testing. Therefore,
we can offer praise to God when in a crisis or struggle knowing it is working
for our good and producing strong and steadfast faith.
For God’s people, survival during the coronavirus crisis requires
maintaining a Godly perspective through maintaining the spiritual disciplines
of prayer, Bible study, and meditation on scripture. It also involves wise and godly led
preparation and not the panicked preparation prevalent during this crisis. Christians must also continue to praise God,
not for the crisis, but for the glorious future they have in Christ.
Perhaps you are reading this and do
not know Jesus as your savior and cannot praise God for you do not believe you
have a glorious future of eternity with Christ.
The Bible is clear in John
3:16 that all that one must do to receive eternal life is believe. Romans
10:9-10 teaches us that to be saved, one must publicly proclaim their faith
in Jesus as Savior. If that person is
you, I invite you to pray with me now to ensure a glorious future with
Christ.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
For those that just prayed, the
next step is gaining a godly perspective through the study of the Bible. I normally would recommend attendance at a
local church or Bible study but during this crisis, many churches will not be
meeting regularly, However, many of
these churches will be recording their messages without a congregation and putting
them online so there is still an opportunity to learn the Bible through the teaching
of scripture, even if in quarantine. I
also urge you to seek guidance on preparation from other believers who are
preparing according to Godly wisdom and not panic. Finally, praise God through listening to Christian
music on the radio or by streaming online.
I pray everyone reading this will maintain a godly perspective, wisely
prepare, and continue to praise and give glory to God through this crisis.
No comments:
Post a Comment