As I write this, over 1,000 people in the U.S. have now died from COVID-19, or the coronavirus. This is sobering news. We must not take this lightly, for this is indeed a very serious disaster that has already claimed the lives of thousands worldwide and authorities say the worst is still to come.
In light of this ominous and unseen threat that hangs over our world like a large, dark cloud, I want to offer you some encouragement from God’s Word. While we are wise to take this virus seriously, we as Christians must not give in to fear, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7).
Here are some important truths to keep in mind as we anticipate the impending trouble before us:
1. God is on the throne.
Our sovereign God is in control over all the events that take place in His world. This pandemic is not a surprise to our Lord, but it is something that He ordained from before the foundation of the world. We know God has decreed all that happens in the world.
Our Confession of Faith states in Chapter 3.1,
“God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass…”
From the greatest galaxy to the smallest particle, all things submit to His sovereign pleasure. As R.C. Sproul was famous for saying, there are “no maverick molecules.” This includes global calamities such as this present pandemic.
Scripture teaches that this is not merely something God has “allowed to take place,” but rather what God has caused to happen in the exact place and time that it is happening. The prophet Amos says, “Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?” (Amos 3:6). In Isaiah God says, “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). The psalmist writes, “Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth” (Ps. 46:8; see also Lamentations 3:37-38).
One reason why we sometimes panic in our current situation is because we have lost sight of God’s sovereign control over the world. Panic is a natural reaction for people who think the world has fallen into turmoil apart from God’s will, involvement, or control. But the psalmist says, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). Let us learn to sing that old hymn,
Whate'er my God ordains is right: his holy will abideth;
I will be still, whate'er he doth, and follow where he guideth.
He is my God; though dark my road, he holds me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to him I leave it all.
2. We don’t always know what God is doing in the world or why He is doing it—nor should we demand an explanation.
Take Job for example. When Job sought an explanation from God for his affliction, the Lord replied, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? (Job 38:2; 40:2a). Job soon responded, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2, 5–6).
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).
So even when we don’t know why things happen the way they do, we must continue to walk by faith, not by sight (1 Cor. 5:7), trusting in our sovereign Lord with all our heart, not leaning on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5).
3. We can know that life’s difficulties are meant for the strengthening of our faith.
James makes this clear as he writes, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4).
The apostle Paul writes something similar in Romans 5:3–5,
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
If we are God’s blood-bought children, then “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). So, in the current situation that the world is facing, believers need to know that such things are meant to strengthen our faith.
4. God is always near to comfort His people in the storms that we face.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” We all are familiar with these famous words from Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God wants us to know the comfort that can only come from His presence, as He guides us with His rod and staff. We need to look intently to the Lord for comfort in such times.
Paul tells us of God’s comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Paul later writes, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17–18).
5. God calls His people to wait upon the Lord in prayer.
Romans 12:12 is a great text to draw close to in such times like this: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” This is similar to 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Psalm 32:6 also gives us helpful guidance: “Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.”
So let us not only pray for God to take this virus away, but pray also that He will use this for the salvation of His elect, the casting down of evil, and the glory of His great name.
6. God expects us to keep living for Him until He takes us home.
The prophet Habakkuk displays the proper attitude for us as he anticipated impending danger and desolation:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places” (Hab. 3:17–19).
Should we lose all the common comforts of life, we can never lose our God, nor the joy that is found only in Him. Knowing that for the believer the best is yet to come will help us weather the storms that we are facing.
Paul writes,
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord . . . Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him” (2 Cor. 5:6, 8–9).
Pastor Rob and I look forward to being with all of our church family in person again. Until then, I hope these truths from God’s Word will be a great encouragement to you all as we suffer through these difficult times together.
—Pastor John Giarrizzo
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” Psalm 91:1–6