Fear Not. Pray A Lot. Repent Often
Growing up, like most people of my generation, I listened to the songwriter Bob Dylan. Today as I sat down at my computer to write this post, the words, “For the times they are a-changin” came to my mind. What an understatement. In a little over two weeks we have been plunged into an historic realignment of society, not just in America, but all over the world. Until two weeks ago, I had never heard of the phrase, ‘social distancing’. But for now, it is how we are told to live our lives – putting distance between us and our neighbor, our loved ones, those we previously interacted with daily, like co-workers; even the stranger on the street or in the grocery store. As John Donne famously wrote, “No man is an island”. He meant that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community to thrive. We have the ability to connect virtually, thanks to technology. But virtual community is a poor substitute – better than nothing, but no substitute for the real thing.
Society today is almost completely shut down – in many places restaurants and theaters are closed, museums and monuments shuttered, sporting events cancelled, long-haul flights cancelled with the real potential of the cancellation of all domestic flights, schools and universities closed, over 3 trillion dollars of wealth wiped out in the stock market, and of course, worship services cancelled all over the country. The governor in my state of NC has banned assemblies of 100 people or more, the CDC is asking us to not assemble in groups greater than 50, and some states are calling all of their citizens to ‘shelter in place’; in other words, stay in your home and leave only to pick up food, get exercise, to go to your health-care provider or local hospital. President Trump recommends people should not gather in groups of 10 or more. And these directives are changing, almost daily.
Everyone is affected. Single moms with day jobs have to stay home with their children, children who depend upon meals at school will suffer, classes will be taught online. What about children who have no computer or access to the internet? Of course, there are health concerns – for the elderly and doctors and first responders. What about the ones who have no home to shelter in, no financial margin to weather the stock market collapse? The list of the potentially devastating effects on the people around us is long and continues to increase.
All of this, of course, is due to a pandemic caused by the micro-organism called the Corona Virus, or officially Sars-CoV-2. This is historic. The World Health Organization has declared only two pandemics in history – the 1918 flu and the H1N1 flu in 2009 (remember that? No? Me neither). The result? The nation is gripped by fear, panic, financial insecurity, hoarding, uncertainty, and blame. Each day the darkness grows deeper.
But Christians are called to be the light in the darkness. We are called to release peace and hope into the world.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5: 14)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 6).
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14: 27).
How do we do this? The same way Christians have been releasing light and peace into the world for thousands of years – through prayer. We can pray against spirits of fear, panic, deception, chaos, blame, disease and infirmity, and poverty. In my church, I am participating in 20 Days of Prayer beginning next week and ending on Easter Sunday. Each day, the church will receive one prayer and a Scripture verse by email. Each day our members will set aside time to connect with Jesus, praying for our church, community, state, nation, and the world. As the church prays the same prayer together in the power of the Holy Spirit, I believe the Holy Spirit will draw our hearts together, even if we cannot enjoy real community on Sunday morning. My hope is through prayer His voice will drown out the voices of fear, panic, and uncertainty we are hearing every day through media, social media, and the news, and release peace into our hearts. We believe our prayers can stop this virus and, at the same time, release the Kingdom of God into the world.
Peace is more than a state of mind. Peace is a person – Jesus. Let’s proclaim Jesus, His life, His love, and His Kingdom over the entire world, one prayer at a time. The world desperately needs Him now.
Finally, two thoughts. I am reading through the Bible in 90 days, and for the last several days I have been in the book of Jeremiah. I can’t help but draw a parallel between Jeremiah’s prophesy’s for Israel and what is happening in America today. I know, it is common for Christians to say, “Look, God is angry with us. This is His punishment”, every time something big and bad happens, but this time around it makes sense, not because the virus is so lethal, but because of how people are reacting – it seems to me we are committing a type of social suicide out of fear. And not just fear of the virus, but fear of what others will say if we ‘don’t get with the program’.
“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’ And the answer will be: Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods” (Jeremiah 22: 8, 9 NIV).
Why this level or fear and panic, especially because the virus is not lethal for the vast majority of those who contract it? Is it because, with shut-down of society and the media’s fixation with worst-case scenarios, we are coming face-to-face with the fact that the security and comfort of our life in America, resting on the twin pillars of modern medicine and government protection, seems to be, for the first time in generations, at risk? Is the ultimate idol of American society, security and comfort, being exposed in a deeper way than ever before for most Americans? Is Jesus ‘enough’ for American Christians?
What if what we are experiencing today lasts more than 2 weeks? What if it lasts for months or even years? How would we cope? Hopefully, we would worship, praise Him, and continue to live our lives loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and our neighbors as ourselves knowing that He is our reward. As God told Abram, before He blessed Him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15: 1 NIV). But, do I really, deep in my heart, believe that?
I pray that God will use this pandemic to wake up the world – and me. Our existence, apart from Jesus, hangs every day by a very thin thread. All of our edifices of power, economy, wealth, and military and medical sophistication can be brought down, ground to a halt, by a microorganism so small that 500 million rhinoviruses (a type of virus causing the common cold) can fit on the head of a pin. And a virus isn’t even alive until it multiplies inside the cells of other living things. Is it time we take a good look at ourselves, put our lives into context of the world around us, then turn back to God and repent? We exist only because of Him. He is our ever-present help. Apart from Him, we have no other.
“God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea . . . There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fail; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms fail, He lifts His voice, the earth melts” (Psalm 46: 1, 2, 4 – 6 NIV).
Have we forsaken the covenant with our God, the God of Psalm 46? If we have, now is a good time to return to Him; maybe in sackcloth and ashes, so to speak.
Kingdom health,
John