HEALING THE LAND
As the world grapples with the COVID19 pandemic, we find that life has been upended. People have been shut up inside their homes, supplies have been stretched and panic is prevalent. For most people, the party that is life on earth has been suspended. For those addicted to sport, there is no sport to watch. For those who were celebrating the stock market’s impossible rise, it is now a time to count the losses. Travel has come to a screeching halt and eagerly anticipated vacations have been canceled. Above all, for many, especially the elderly who have a higher mortality with this virus, the possibility of death has to be accounted for.
To provide light in the midst of this darkness, as always, it is best to turn to the word of God. And when God speaks to Solomon at the consecration of the temple, we find guidance,
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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. (2 Chronicles 7:13, 14)
Here we note that no plague or disaster comes without God’s approval. He controls all things and plans all things with justice and righteousness. God takes full responsibility for every thing we see on this earth, including the evil and suffering. That is perhaps the greatest reassurance man can have, that the righteous God will allow only as much as man can bear. But what purpose does a disaster or a plague serve?
Every adversity should evoke a response of returning to God in repentance. Man’s inclination for evil and the opportunities for worldliness that abound means that man invariably busies himself in the world and turns away from God. Where is God in the midst of a mindless chasing after sport, money and parties? And God uses a tiny virus to bring the mighty man and his many endeavors to a screeching halt. The apt response from man should be to reflect and return to God in repentance, which is at the heart of man’s relationship with God.
A natural humbling of man is inevitable when calamity strikes. Further, deliberately humbling oneself before God rapidly accelerates God’s response. We see that in Nineveh when Jonah proclaimed impending calamity. The king issued an edict and every person donned sackcloth in repentance and prayer. The calamity was averted. Closely linked to repentance is turning to God in prayer. It is heartening to note that the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump, the President of the USA has issued a call to observe today as the national day of prayer, urging one and all to turn to God.
“We are a Country that, throughout our history, has looked to God for protection and strength in times like these. No matter where you may be, I encourage you to turn towards prayer in an act of faith. Together, we will easily PREVAIL!”
As citizens of the world, no matter where we may be, let this pandemic be an opportunity to return to God in repentance and lift up our prayers to Him who forgives sin and heals the land.
