We are exiting a year of change unlike any I have ever experienced. We are living in a time of fear and uncertainty. Government orders have shut down schools, businesses, and even houses of worship in some areas, in an effort to slow down or irradicate the virus. Lives changed as multitudes lost loved ones to the virus, hospitals reached capacity, healthcare workers were stretched and stressed to the max, and others hunkered down at home seeking to avoid getting sick! Yet there are others who were defiant, only concerned with “their rights.” Pride swelled within many, as they were determined no one was going to tell them what they could, or could not do. Our world is in a mess. As Christians, how are we to respond, and what are we to learn from this pandemic? What has COVID done to you?
For any Christian, our answers should always come from the Bible. It is truth, and it does have the answers. In Romans 5:3-5, Paul teaches us how troubling times should affect us. If anyone should be an authority on tribulations, it would be Paul. Before his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul was a highly respected Jew, a Pharisee who was well educated, and one who had some authority. He was a persecutor of Christians, whom the Jews saw as a threat to their religion. He knew what it was like to live a prosperous life. However, after his conversion, his life was the opposite. In II Corinthians 11:23 -28, he outlines many of his times of serious and immediate danger. He suffered being stoned and left for dead, he was in prison many times because of His faith, ship-wrecked, hungry, thirsty, cold, naked, robbed, beaten, and if the outward dangers were not overwhelming, he agonized over the care of the churches God had allowed him to establish. So, when we explore what our response should be to trying times, keep in mind what the author of Romans had experienced.
II Corinthians 11:23-28 “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”
In Romans 5:3-5, Paul teaches us to glory in our trials. That word glory translated means to rejoice. Why and how can we rejoice during our pandemic? We can, because the result will be patience. Patience is a calmness of the soul because we know God is in control. Our experience causes us to draw closer to Him and our hope for our future grows. There is a renewed and deeper hope that is fueled by the love of God that comes from Him as we depend on Him.
Is this how you have reacted to the virus? Has your fear of the unknown caused you to draw closer to God, or have you murmured and complained because your way of life as you knew it before the pandemic, has been interrupted? Have you watched the media and allowed yourself to have more conversations about who is right or wrong than you do about Christ? You can say your hope is in Him, but your actions and your attitude will tell the truth about where your confidence lies. What is your first response when you hear someone has died from COVID? Is your first question did they have other complications, or is it, “were they saved?” Have you become more agitated and confrontational about the virus than you have about standing for the truth of the gospel?
Romans 5:3-5 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
It is easy to rejoice when things are good. When we are healthy, our family is doing well, and our finances are taking care of our needs and wants. But what do we do when we face difficult circumstances? Do we whine and focus on the negative, or do we rejoice in our current blessings? In verse 3, the Greek word for glory is kauchōmetha, which means that we rejoice not only in the hope we have for what God has promised for our eternal future, but that we carry that joy throughout our lives. We rejoice in tribulations or trials in this life. Paul understood what he was talking about. The book of Philippians is about joy and gratitude. It overflows with positive accolades. Yet, when Paul wrote this book, he was sitting in a prison.
I believe it is time for Christians to take our spiritual temperature. We need to test ourselves against the verses I have mentioned today. If the trials of the present time have not caused you to be a more loving, patient, compassionate, person, you have not allowed this trial to work God’s intent in your life. The trials of life test our faith, and the result should be praying, studying, and witnessing like never before. We must seek creative ways to reach out and witness. We have a grand opportunity to show our allegiance is to God, as we place our confidence in what He can do, not what mankind can do. If something as small as a virus can get your focus off the main thing, which is the eternal destiny of people, then you will never be able to stand, if you face persecution because you are a Christian.
Excellent