Pastor Robert Hammond, Long Hill Baptist Church, Trumbull, CT
People around the world are understandably concerned about the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), most people who come down with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. However, some people develop fever, cough, and trouble breathing. And sadly, many people have died.
This article provides information about avoiding infection, together with information about how we can be physically and spiritually prepared for COVID-19.
Avoiding infection. The CDC recommends that we wash our hands frequently with soap. Health officials also suggest that we take reasonable steps to limit our exposure to sick people. See more details about current recommendations at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/
Being Prepared Physically. Public officials have recommended that we attempt to maintain a two-week supply of medicine, food, cleaning supplies and personal care items. That’s wise advice to help manage the physical aspects of the situation. We would also be wise to prepare spiritually.
Being Prepared Spiritually
Be reminded that God has an answer for our anxiety. In Philippians 4:6, the Lord commands us to not be filled with worry about anything. “Be careful for nothing,” writes Paul. “But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Instead of worrying, we are to pray about our worries. And we are called to do so with thankfulness. Be thankful that God desires to hear our worries. And be thankful that he desires to answer our prayers. Believers who obey these commands are promised a blessing: “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:8).
Note also that the Lord commands us to focus our minds on godly things rather than fearful things (Philippians 4:8).
Remember that God sometimes uses illness to bring people to Christ. The blind man who received sight in John 9 came to faith in Christ as a result of his trial! Pray that many people will come to Christ as a result of COVID-19. No doubt, this disease is causing many lost people to be more willing to hear your testimony of salvation and eternal life in Christ. Be prepared to share the truth that the the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true way to be prepared for the possibility of death.
Be reminded that God sometimes uses our physical illnesses to grow us. In James 1:2, we are commanded to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” The word “temptations” has the idea of trials. The Lord desires that we be grateful for trials because he uses them to grow us spiritually.
Understand that God sometimes uses illnesses in order to demonstrate his power. In John 9, the disciples learned that a certain man had been born blind in order to create an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate his power by giving the man sight (9:3). When Christ chooses to heal, he has power to heal.
But also understand that the Lord sometimes allows illnesses to continue so that he may continue demonstrating his power! That was the case with Paul's “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:6-7). Paul prayed for healing. But instead of healing Paul, Christ answered Paul’s prayer by promising grace (power) to endure the trial. And so Paul did not despair. Instead, he proclaimed, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul continued, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities... for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
When the Lord chooses to allow an affliction to continue, rely upon his grace to continue -- knowing that he has good purposes for the trials (Romans 8:28).
Understand that God sometimes uses physical illness to protect us from spiritual danger. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul revealed that he was tempted to be prideful about his ministry. He understood that the Lord used a “thorn in the flesh” to protect him from that spiritually-dangerous pride. Ask God to help you accept that, in his wisdom, he sometimes uses illness to humble us.
Understand that God sometimes uses illness to encourage us to testify of him. Sometimes, the Lord uses physical trials to encourage his people to testify to others about his power in our lives. After the man in John 9 received sight, he testified to others about the power of Christ. Paul also testified to the Corinthian church about the power he found in Christ to continue despite not being healed. Whether or not God chooses to heal us, we may testify about his power in our trials (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Be reminded that illness is not always the result of our own sin. According to the Bible, illness and death are a direct consequence of Adam’s sin in the garden (Genesis 3). Prior to Adam’s sin, there was no death (Romans 5:12). When Adam sinned, God placed a curse upon all of creation. Illness and death are two of the results of that curse. Some of the illnesses that we experience simply reflect this truth.
Understand that some illnesses are the result of spiritual attack. Job is an example of a man who suffered illness that was not related to his own sin. His friends repeatedly insisted that he suffered because of his sin. However, the Bible records that Job was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1). Job’s illness was the result of spiritual battle rather than his own sin.
Remember that God sometimes uses illness to correct us. While not all illnesses are the result of our own sin, our personal sin can indeed result in God correcting us through illness. For example, Paul told the Corinthian church that some of their members were weak or sick because they had sinned by participating in the Lord’s Supper unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:30). He also told them that some had died because of that sin!
What’s the biblical answer for illness that results from our personal sin? In James 5:13-15, we are instructed to pray and to confess our sin. The afflicted are instructed to “call for the elders (pastors) of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Throughout the Bible, oil pictures the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you about some specific sin, take a moment to confess your guilt. Ask the Lord to give you grace to turn from sin to obedience.
Be reminded that Christians should be prepared to demonstrate love to others. Christ commands all believers to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). He taught that people would be able to identify his disciples by love they exercised (John 13:34-25). In the event of a growing epidemic, God’s people will have many opportunities to demonstrate love to both to one another and to the lost. Bear in mind that the Lord himself makes this love possible as we yield to him (Galatians 5:22).
In conclusion, Christians would be wise to remain prepared both physically and spiritually. Bear in mind that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). Lord, help us to be prepared to glorify our Savior, to reach others and to benefit spiritually from the trials that lay ahead.