A Biblical Response to COVID-19

Without question, God got our attention in 2020. The pandemic was real, and if all its related problems weren’t enough, we were simultaneously in the throes of a contentious election year. On top of that, within two months of the COVID-19 shutdowns, the entire world was confronted with these horrific, viral images that exposed our nation’s ongoing struggle with racial justice. For most of us, it was extremely hard to watch yet another Black man, this one named George Floyd, be murdered right in front of our eyes, by a White cop who kneeled on his neck for nearly ten minutes! The arrogance, hatred, and wanton disregard for human life that officer Derek Chauvin displayed was obvious to all (or at least it should have been), and for people of all races who’d had enough, the result was loud, angry, sometimes violent protests across the country. Coupled with the mounting challenges of the pandemic, this unforgettable episode in our racial history seemed to drive America to its breaking point; no longer could such blatantly immoral behavior and abuse of power be swept under the rug of racist traditions and an inadequate court system. Judgment day had come, in a sense, and all beheld the wrong, in broad daylight. Is it possible that Floyd’s death was meant to shine an unrelenting spotlight on what is perhaps our nation’s greatest unrepented sin: racism? Could the reveal of our widespread infection with this particularly destructive disease be a sign that America needed to finally “get right with God”? America was clearly in trouble…and she still is. We have housed for too long the kinds of wrongs that never seem to get righted — those that keep our people ever divided, whether it’s racially, politically, religiously, or economically. In the aftermath, God revealed to me that the pandemic shutdown was permitted, at least in part, to upset our collective applecart, if you will, and force us into a season of self-examination. Since Floyd’s death, terms like “racial justice,” “civic unrest,” and “national uprising” have been so frequently heard in the mouths of activists, commentators, and everyday citizens that I can’t help but be hopeful the message is finally sinking in. I believe 2020 was the year God was calling our attention to us, and that this season of self-reflection and -examination is meant to be followed by real, quantifiable change. This charge is for the Church, as well! It’s shameful to say but we, too, have rampant problems of unchecked sin, materialism, false doctrine, lack of faith, powerlessness — the list goes on — within our ranks. It is incumbent upon the Church to acknowledge our natural and spiritual failings, and finally correct them, if we are to emerge a people prepared for Christ’s return. As we read in I Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” That, dear reader, is a rhetorical question. Thankfully, as the Father reminds us in II Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV). [Emphasis is the author’s.] Indeed, it is our duty to pray; our consistent communication with God helps bring about change in both the Body of Christ and the world, helping to right its wrongs and thwart many of its evils. Especially in perilous times like these, as misinformation, untruth, and rumors continue to spread and infect people like the virus itself, we also should not fail to educate and inform others. That is part of the purpose of this book; as much as some of what I’ve presented here may seem obvious to certain readers, I recognize it as my spiritual duty as a minister and my natural duty as a concerned citizen to constantly inform, as well as warn, those in my sphere — I can’t assume people know and understand something just because I do. The virus is not a hoax, though many continue to believe so; nor is it part of some grand, maniacal scheme to permanently eliminate certain people and populations around the world. The research into whether COVID-19’s onset was due to man’s manipulative influence or to some accidental/natural cause, is ongoing — that verdict is still out — but my position is that even if some evil persons intentionally started all of this, God has the final say, and we, His people, have a duty to properly respond until things become clearer. And for the record, our Heavenly Father did not initiate the pandemic, nor is He responsible for any of the pain and negativity experienced in the natural realm. His actions and intentions toward people are only ever good: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7 NIV). Evil, tragedy, trauma, and human suffering in this world are all an inevitable result of its fallen state, but God’s people know that there is a world beyond this one. We know that there is an afterlife, and in it awaits the “just reward” of every single soul that has ever graced the planet. This reward is the continuation of life, because the soul never dies, in either Heaven and Hell. How we live today, then, determines where we will live tomorrow in eternity. That being said, we are all under God’s sovereignty and mercy, so whatever is happening in our lives — whatever events we find ourselves in the throes and thick of, individually or collectively — He alone has permitted it. Though lies, false agendas, and baseless conspiracy theories may abound, people of faith can rest assured that He is in control, and remain hopeful (John 16:33), soberminded (I Peter 5:8), and watchful, as the Word says. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). [Emphasis is the author’s.] And part of our duty as “watchers” is to correctly inform and advise others, while practicing what we preach.