What is Our Response to Coronavirus?- PART ONE

What is Our Response to Coronavirus?

Part One

By Rocky Fleming

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV)

President Trump has asked for a National Day of Prayer in response to the world-wide pandemic with COVID-19 that we are facing.  Many churches are not meeting because of the increased risk. Schools are closing.  Sport teams both professional and amateur are postponed.  When major money-makers like the NBA, PGA, MLB and others halt their gatherings, you know they are scared.  Businesses are doing the same.  People are doing panic buying, storing up in the event they are without something they will need to survive on.  Like a year of toilet paper supplies?  I don’t get that one, and they are even fighting each other for such things.  Can you imagine what our society would really be like if we had a real denial of things we value and need?  What is being proven is that we as a society are not ready.  Is the CHURCH in this country ready?  We had better get ready.  But not with storing up on things that will rot, decay or be stolen.  Rather it is to prepare ourselves by being in a right place with our Savior and to be the CHURCH to a desperate world that is facing the reality that their foolish attempts to control it, with no regard or respect to our CREATOR’S perspectives and guidance, will be met with similar reminders that we have now.

For years now there have been some of us asking God to intervene in the God-less society that has been taking root in America and the world.  A few powerful people with private agendas, backed up by other powerful media voices have tried to remove God from our schools, our government, our daily lives, and even our churches and replace it with violence and depravity.  The moral decay and the flagrant efforts to change our culture is obvious.  At the top of the hit list are Christians and Christian values in this country.  Islamic extremists have all-out attacked Christians in Muslim countries.  But Christians are being persecuted in many other lands as well.  It is obvious that God’s family has been under attack worldwide.  Now, in many subtle and not so subtle ways, we are seeing His family being attacked in our own country.

With these things pointed out I will now say that I’m not surprised that God has allowed this “pestilence” to strike the world and this country.  In case you didn’t know pestilence is a synonym for pandemic.  You might want to think it through, for there will be more of them coming in the future as pointed out in the Bible.  I’m not sure if today’s pandemic is a sign of the end times or not.  I will say that I do strongly believe that our current crisis is a warning that tells us that God will not be ignored.  If we will heed His warning and turn from our wicked ways as a country, then we may recover.  This is where prayer comes in.  It is not to pray simply for another disaster to be avoided and learn nothing from the threat of this one.  Rather it is to pray that our country will turn our heart again to God, and then help others do the same.  He’s getting our attention.  Now will we learn from it?

I find it interesting that the political enemies in political Washington finally agreed on something to do for our country with the Coronavirus Relief Bill, instead of keeping their fights going with their political differences.  A common enemy will do this.  For this reason, we can already see a degree of blessing coming to our country as a result of this deadly virus.  I for one am praying for peacemakers and healers to replace agitators and dividers.  Can this be where we are headed as a result of this current challenge?  Could this be an answer to our prayers?

As we head into the teeth of this storm we are about to face, I think this is where we in the Church need to keep our composure and faith.  For a good while I’ve felt the Church is being prepared for a new campaign to reach new souls for Christ.  I feel that Influencers has been raised up for a time such as we are in, and we are to be messengers of hope.  But not us alone.  All of God’s churches and ministries should join together to be a ray of hope, messengers of peace with God, and seize the opportunity that is being given to us to make disciples.  Let us not only pray for our country, the world and the many who will be affected by this crisis.  But let us pray for the Church, and that we will see that this could be our finest hour to be the Church Jesus gave His life for to reach others.

This week I would like to blog every day on thoughts that will be relevant to this crisis we face as a nation, and this opportunity that we as the Church have to be those peacemakers.  Tune in tomorrow and join us in prayer.