We are living in unprecedented times. As I have watched the news over my lifetime, I have seen many tragic events reported. Most of those events were far from me, so there was little effect on my life. This is different. What started on the opposite side of the globe, has now spread to my back yard. There are only isolated places in the world yet to be touched.
As bad as the biological damage this virus presents is, the economic damage will be felt more severely over the next few months and possibly years. My prayer is that we, who are followers of Christ, will not bend to the temptation to protect ourselves, but rather trust God for our provision and help those around us. “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” (Ps. 55:22, NASB)
A friend of mine sent me two pictures. One was of a family sitting around their living room, each on their personal devices. The caption said, “people normally.” The second picture was of people outside walking and riding bicycles. The caption said, “people during quarantine.” Of course, I laughed! As I have ridden around my town, I’ve seen a lot of people out doing the same. I know, we are supposed to isolate from one another so we can slow down the spread of the virus. However, this unprecedented time is producing an awareness of how fragile life really is and how we do not need to take it for granted.
This sense of community is what will help us as we overcome the economic damage left in the wake of this pandemic. When you infuse your community with the kingdom of God, of which you belong as a child of God, Jesus’ mandate to go and make disciples will manifest in practical ways. As the fallen world is trying to survive, the children of God will display strength in the middle of crisis. Many will look to us and see our peace and joy. They will want to know more about our hope and our security. As they look to their jobs, bank accounts, retirement funds, assets, etc., we look to our true hope – Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom. 5:3-5, NASB)
We don’t really know what the future looks like as far as the world economy goes, but we can walk securely into our future, no matter the challenges, because God is still in control.
