Calm amidst Corona

Likely, you’re tired of hearing about the newest coronavirus. But don’t worry—despite the title, this post is less about the coronavirus and more about Christ. Regardless of your opinions about the virus, I’d imagine that you’ve felt at least some uneasiness in recent days. If you’re like me, you’re less worried about catching the virus and more worried about how the reaction to it will affect current and future plans.

It’s easy to get caught up in worries about the unknown. We are finite creatures, after all. But giving into those worries is not something we have to do. In the face of the unknown, we can choose to take a different path. And the best thing to do is to intentionally fix our eyes on the One who knows all. Instead of fixating on the news, feeding our minds and souls a steady diet of social media, and passively letting the worries build inside of us, we can face them head on by actively focusing on the Truth of who God is and what that means for us.

-          God is all-knowing. That means that not only did none of this take Him by surprise, but also He knows what tomorrow holds—and next week—and next month—and you get the picture. (See 1 John 3:20, Romans 11:33, Job 37:16, etc.)

-          God is outside of time. That means that He is already fully present in our future. Mind-blowing, I know, but that’s why He’s the infinite One and we’re not. (See Genesis 1:2, Psalm 90:2, John 1:1, Deuteronomy 31:8, etc.) 

-          His mercies are new every morning. That means that regardless of what we face in a given day, He gives us a fresh dose of mercy to sustain us. (See Lamentations 3:22-23)

Put all of this together, and we see that the One who knows all things and is already literally ahead of us is also the One who provides us what we need. We’re not left in the hands of an incompetent Being, one who is caught off guard by hardships we might face. Nor are we left in the hands of a cruel or apathetic Being, who delights in our struggle or couldn’t care less about us.

Jesus, the Son of God and God Himself, came and dwelt among us, His creatures, as one of us. The God who is outside of time experienced life within time in the person of Jesus Christ. He faced spiritual oppression, literal storms, physical exhaustion, and grief, just to name a few—so He knows. Not only because He already knew all but because He chose to know experientially as well.

For those of us who have accepted the gift of His sacrifice on our behalf, i.e. are trusting in His perfect life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection instead of in our own good deeds to have right standing before God, we also have the indwelling presence of His Spirit with us every. single. moment. That means you’re not walking into any situation without God already having been there and without God accompanying you intimately—oh, and without God praying for you. That’s right! Jesus is right now interceding for us before God’s throne in heaven, and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26-27, 34).

Maybe you don’t know what this feels like, though. Maybe you’ve never experienced the peace that passes understanding, the confidence that comes from knowing that there is a God who loves you—loves you enough to suffer injustice and die in your place so that you could have a relationship with Him. Maybe you live your days with no sense of purpose and without hope for today, much less for the future. If that’s the case, there is no better time than now to run to God and let Him teach you. Let Him show you why you lack peace, why you feel hopeless, why you can’t shake that fear of the future.

If you want to do that—to seek after the God who is pursuing you with a relentless love—but you’re not sure how, please reach out, and I would love to help you find the way. If you don’t have another way of contacting me, you can leave a comment at the end of this post. The settings are such that no one else will see it besides me unless I publish it (which I won’t). But be sure to let me know who you are, so I can respond!

We live in a world that has fallen from its original God-fashioned design, a world in which evil exists, humans go to war against each other, and viruses lead to panic, illness, and death. But followers of Jesus know that this world is not our ultimate home and that whatever struggles we face here pale in comparison to the eternal joy that awaits us when we finally see our Beloved Savior face to face and can worship Him purely without having to fight against the remnants of our sinful nature.

So if you’re a follower of Jesus, when you feel the worry rising in your spirit and the tension building in your body, preach to yourself the truths of Scripture to remind yourself about Who you serve and Who is holding you always in His hand. And if you’re not a follower of Jesus, don’t ignore the anxiety you feel in facing the unknown. Let it be a force that pushes you to seek the answers and peace that only God can provide.

In the uncertainty of our lives that has been brought into sharper focus in these coronavirus times, look to Christ, take up His easy yoke, and rest in the calmness of His presence each day.