***This is a companion blog post to How Should Christians Respond to the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Wherever you find yourself reading this, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Whatever your situation may be, I’m praying for you. I’ve had a lot on my mind, especially the past couple weeks, about what a spiritual response and perspective should be in the midst of this global Coronavirus pandemic. I’ve felt challenged in both good and hard ways in my own faith and I know I’m not alone.
I don’t believe God causes the hardship and suffering we experience in this world, but I do believe, according to the Bible, that He uses hard things that happen to work out a deeper spiritual purpose in us and in the world. He often uses the pressure created by the circumstance we are in to wake us up and/or grow us spiritually.
I wanted to write this blog post to have a conversation with people who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves followers of Jesus. Even if we don’t share the same faith, you’re my neighbor in this world, I’ve been praying for you, and we’re all going through this together. I’ve had a few thoughts in my heart for you and figured I’d share. I hope they speak to you in a meaningful way.
Where’s Your Hope?
There’s a story Jesus tells in Luke 15 in the Bible that I love. It’s about a wayward son who rebels against his dad, wastes his inheritance in wild living, finds himself broke and hungry, and one day finally comes to his senses to recognize the error of his ways.
He realizes that he can return to his father with a broken and repentant heart. When he does, he’s greeted by the father with love, compassion and celebration, welcomed again as a son. The father in the story represents God and the wayward son, you and me.
In this son’s case, the tough spot that caused him to start asking deeper questions about his life and his relationship to God was brought on by his own unwise choices, but we can find ourselves in tough spots in life for all kinds of reasons. Whatever the situation, the point is that sometimes God gets our attention in crisis.
As we face the impact of Coronavirus in our world today, may I ask you a question? In a time where the things we normally depend on for comfort, security, pleasure, provision, protection are being disrupted or stripped away for all of us in some measure, where is your hope?
And His name will be the hope of all the world. (Matthew 12:21)
…Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls… (Hebrews 6:18-20)
This idea has been in my heart for a few days now: “we need hope beyond this life, and we need hope beyond what this world can offer.”
We need protection from this virus. We need to know that even if the virus does touch us or someone we love in some way that Jesus can heal. We need to know that even if healing isn’t the result in this life, when life in this world ends, it continues in the presence of Jesus forever.
We need to know our needs will be provided for. We need the courage to have care and compassion for our neighbors, not just ourselves. We need peace beyond what this world can give us and beyond what this world can take away. We need to know that we are not alone, that God is with us, even when we are somewhat socially isolated. We need an anchor amidst the instability and disruption of life.
You know the first step to finding that kind of hope? Relationship with Jesus.
The great equalizer for all of us regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status or anything else, is that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard. (Romans 3:23) We are each guilty before God and separated from relationship with God in this life and in eternity.
But God loves each of us so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross, paying the penalty for our sin so we wouldn’t have to, and to rise from the dead in victory for us. Jesus is alive today, seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. And through faith in Jesus, our ability to know God in relationship is restored, we are forgiven the penalty for our sins, freed from sin’s power so we can learn to live pleasing to God, and we get to spend eternity with Him. (Romans 5:6-11)
To take it a step further? In Jesus, we are given access to every spiritual blessing and everything we need for life and godliness. We not only receive the benefit of our hearts made right with God and the salvation of our souls, but we get to experience His character, His work, and the promises of His Word (the Bible) made real in our lives, through all the ups and the downs of life.
That, my friend, is hope for this life and the next. Do you have that kind of hope? Do you have the hope of Jesus that anchors your soul even amidst the trials of this life? I’d encourage you to think about that during these days. (Lord knows, a good portion of us have so much more time on our hands now to do some deep thinking. 😉 )
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Salvation and forgiveness of sin are found Jesus alone.
Relationship with God is found in Jesus alone.
Eternal life is found in Jesus alone.
Identity, purpose and fulfillment in this life are found in Jesus alone.
Hope for this life and for eternity are found in Jesus alone.
Jesus is everything.
He sees you. He knows you. He cares about you. He loves you. He created every person on earth–you included–for the purpose of knowing Him. (Acts 17:24-31) Our sin separates us from God, but Jesus reconciles us to God. Jesus leads us into the life and relationship with God we were made for when we trust in Him to save us and turn to Him with our lives.
Our sin separates us from God, but Jesus reconciles us to God. Jesus leads us into the life and relationship with God we were made for when we trust in Him to save us and turn to Him with our lives.Click To Tweet
What if in this moment of uncertainty, disruption, and crisis is God is leading you to think about where you’re at with Him? What if God is inviting you to ask some spiritual questions and let Him do a spiritual work in your heart?
If you want to learn more about what it means to be a Christian and how to start a relationship with Jesus, check out my blog post, What Does It Mean To Be A Christian? You can also send me a message on my contact page. I’d love to chat with you about this more if you’d like or help you take some next steps in your faith journey.
Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope this post was an encouragement to you. 🙂
You might find this post helpful too: What Alessia Cara Lyrics Can Teach You About Searching for God
Let’s Talk: Has this post given you something to think about spiritually in any way? Discuss this post in the comments below.
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