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***This is a companion blog post to If You’re Not A Christian, Here’s Some Spiritual Perspective for the Coronavirus Pandemic

Wherever you find yourself reading this, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Whatever your circumstances may be, know that I’m praying for you. I wanted to share some things I feel God has been highlighting to me about how we as Christians should process and respond spiritually to the Coronavirus pandemic.

As we fervently pray for God to rescue our world from Coronavirus, I think we would be remiss if we didn’t make space in this cultural moment to evaluate our relationship with God. While I don’t believe God causes the suffering and hardship in our world today, I do see in the Bible that He uses the pressures and trials of this life that touch our land or our personal lives to get our attention. He uses them to draw our hearts back to Him when necessary. (Joel 1-2)

So how do we turn our hearts to God?

1. Search Your Heart

God has drawn me to Revelation 2-3 for the past several weeks regarding my personal walk with Him, even before this Coronavirus crisis started to explode globally the way it has now. In these chapters, Jesus speaks prophetically to seven churches in Asia Minor through the apostle John.

Jesus encourages them in the things they are doing well. He also shines light on the areas where they have fallen into sin, compromise or spiritual complacency and He calls them to repent. These are sincere, Jesus-following Christians He’s talking to.

Even as sincere and mature Christians, we are not exempt from needing to realign our hearts with the Lord and His ways at times. Okay, let’s be real–often. Both God’s encouragement and His correction are an expression of His kindness to us. He corrects us because He loves us, and because He wants us to walk in holiness and wholehearted relationship with Him. He fights for us to bring us into maturity and the fullness of our destiny in Him. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

I do believe God is bringing a measure of loving correction, refinement and preparation to us as individuals and as His corporate Church through this Coronavirus crisis. Not through the virus itself, but through the spiritual response and spiritual fruit the alarm and the pressure of the season we’re in will produce in us if we’ll cooperate with how God wants to work through it.

I’ve been asking God these kinds of questions of myself personally and the Church in my nation as a whole:

What ways have we fallen into sin, compromise, or spiritual complacency where Jesus may be leading us to repentance and realignment with Him?  In what ways could He be preparing us as His people for trials to come or for partnership with Him in a move of His Spirit that we aren’t spiritually ready for just yet? What opportunities to connect with and care for our neighbors within the Church and outside of it could God be stirring up in us as we walk through this challenging time together?

I wonder what God would do in us as individuals, as congregations, as the body of Christ in cities and nations if we would humbly turn our hearts to the Lord in this season and allow Him to search us, refine us, and equip us through this.

2. Partner with God in Prayer

I’ve been reading Joel 1-2 , 2 Chronicles 7, and 2 Chronicles 20 a lot the past week or so. I’m so grateful that God has given us direction in His Word for how to respond when facing a national crisis. Or, in this case, a global one. While our situation is a little bit different than ancient Israel’s, there are things you and I can learn from these Bible passages about how to respond to God in the midst of crisis.

There is a principle in these chapters for us that when our nation is in crisis, the people of God have a divine invitation to appeal to Him in humble, repentant prayer and fasting, asking Him to intervene. I would go so far as to say we have a responsibility to do so. After all, God does work in the world through the prayers and participation of His people.

When your nation is in a crisis, it’s not the time for business as usual. It’s not the time for spiritual complacency and casually hoping for the best. It’s time to get to work and seek the face of God. To press in to know Him more, to realign our hearts with Him and His Word, and to ask Him to do something in your land that only He can do.

As the praying people of God, we’ve got work to do. Let’s get to it. Let’s appeal to our gracious God who is full of mercy and unfailing love and is eager to intervene with blessing when His children cry out to Him. (Joel 2:12-17 // Luke 18:1-8)

Ask God to break the power of this virus across the whole earth. Ask Him to send peace. Ask Him to heal the sick and protect us all. Ask Him to comfort the fearful, the grieving, the lonely and the disappointed.

Ask Him to provide for those who have lost income. Ask Him to give strength and wisdom to all the scientists, medical professionals, government officials, law enforcement and pastors who are working to care for people well in the midst of this outbreak. Ask Him to turn hearts to Him and send a spiritual awakening to our land.

3. Give God Your Emotions

Can I encourage you with some truths God encouraged me with during a really vulnerable prayer time the other night?

As Christians, we don’t have to live life crippled with fear (2 Timothy 1:7), but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel the emotion sometimes. That’s to be expected. We’re human. You don’t have to pretend not to be afraid. You can be real with God about your fears and ask Him to calm those fears, free you from them and help you trust Him in those areas. (Psalm 34:4 // Psalm 56:3)

You don’t have to pretend not to be overwhelmed. By the changes to normal. By having to suddenly figure out new rhythms of work or family life or life physically distanced from people. By the pressure to make decisions and respond appropriately to the government ordinances and mandates that are changing daily. (that’s what I’ve personally struggled with most) You can cry out to God for help when you are overwhelmed. (Psalm 61:2)

Whatever burdens, cares or worries you are carrying, you can give them to God in prayer. He will take care of you, speak to you, guide you, comfort you. (Psalm 55:22 // 1 Peter 5:7)

You can lean into the promises of God’s protection and God’s steadiness in times of trouble. (Psalm 46 // Psalm 91)

I imagine you’re feeling the sobriety of this season just like I am. Let’s seek God together, for ourselves and for our world.

***I made a YouTube playlist with some messages from pastors and churches I follow that I found super helpful on this topic. Check it out below or click here. 

Let’s Talk: How are you praying in this season? For your own spiritual life, for the Church, for your city/nation? Discuss this post in the comments below.

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