ON GOD’S TIMEOUT?
I don’t want to presume God’s motives for allowing the coronavirus pandemic. However, if He’s thinking that his kids need to be put on timeout because of the way they’ve been behaving, well, who could blame Him? For one thing, our hell-driven stampede down the road of hate and divisiveness was going nowhere good.
I do have to say that, from my perspective, one advantage of the pandemic is that it has taken election politics off the front page news. What a nice break. Another plus is that mass shootings should be down for a while.
Humor aside, how do we get through the next weeks and perhaps months? In these unprecedented times we need:
PERSPECTIVE
Remember . . . that as the world’s birth pangs increase and we feel the pressure, the squeezing, and the discomfort, God is still in control and He is still good.
Remember . . . that God shoulders are big enough to carry the world’s chaos, suffering, and pain, but ours are not.
Remember . . . to "not let your hearts be troubled nor be afraid,” because Jesus said so.
PURPOSE
Redeem the time . . . by embracing quiet and reflection.
Redeem the time . . . by being productive—with a project, a hobby, working on a skill, connecting online with family and friends, or serving (e.g. sewing face masks or shopping for the elderly).
Redeem the time . . . by redoubling your efforts to love God and people. Worship like never before, intercede like never before, be kind and compassionate like never before.
HOPE
In the midst of fear, face masks, and edicts to stay home, God is ultimately our “shield” and our “shelter in place.” Psalm 144:2 says, “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge.”
We shelter with a loving Father. That means we are "shut in" with One who cares. He is our Protector and Deliverer. No pandemic will ever be able to separate us from His love. No cataclysmic circumstance will ever be able to wrest away our eternal hope.
As we sit in eerie quiet and wait, let us say with the Psalmist: “. . . I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed” (Psalm 57:1).