Last Sunday the President of the United States declared a National Day of Prayer because of the Coronavirus. Has it come to this?
Less than a month ago Americans were riding high. The Stock Market reached its all-time high. The Economy was the strongest it had been in at least half a century, and Americans who wanted to work could find job.
The suddenly everything people were relying on was shaken. The Stock Market crashed, panicking those who trust in their wealth and endangering the retirement security of millions of Americans. Others found their jobs at risk because of the Virus. Worse, the people are facing a deadly disease with no cure available from the greatest medical system in the history of the world. And the best that the government of the most powerful nation on earth can do is slow down the march of the virus through the land.
The President’s call for a Day of Prayer is a wakeup call for the Church. Most Christians are no different from secular society, relying on their wealth, their jobs, their doctors, and the Government instead of God. When everything is shaken it is not because God wants to force us to rely on Him, but rather God wants us to rely on Him so we can face the shakings which always come from the failed systems of the world. We need to repent and reactivate our faith to overcome this plague with no cure.
To start with we should seek the Lord for protection. In this Passover season we should put the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, on our doorposts so the Angel of Death will pass over us (See Exodus 12:13). Praise the Lord and give Him thanks to see His deliverance (see 2 Chronicles 20:21-24). Let us humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and repent of our unbelief for the healing of our land (See 2 Chronicles 7:14).
We must also remember to live our life in faith. We can look back to h Christians of the past, like the persecuted Christians of ancient Rome who ministered to the sick during a great plague, showed God’s love, and won over the population. We can be faithful in our generation by doing the same: meeting needs, and comforting the sick, and proclaiming God’s love.
If you should find yourself in quarantine, take advantage of the time to get closer to God and soak in His presence. Remember the Chinese church leader who said he missed his time in prison because God was so close to him there. Take Psalm 91 to heart, and dwell in the shelter of the Most High.
Do not let the shaking shake you:
“Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure. He will have no fear” –Psalm 112:6-8