Peace & Security

News sources traditionally focus on sensational topics because it draws people’s attention: war, pandemics, gun violence, elections, etc. This is true for both conservative and liberal news media. And it works.

If you’re like me, you’ve been reading about the latest sensation: the new coronavirus that was first observed in China that has spread to every continent except Antarctica. We are constantly reminded that there’s so much we don’t know about this new coronavirus but that it has the potential to kill large numbers of people.

Yes, we should take precautions and be more attentive to healthy behaviors: wash our hands often, refrain from touching our faces, disinfect doorknobs and counter tops, etc. I don’t want to see anyone die from this or any disease, but I don’t mean to be insensitive when I say I’m not overly concerned. It never helps to panic, and even if someone gets sick, there’s better than a 96% chance of full recovery. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t take precautions, but at some point you need to let go of what you can’t control. 

In fact, there is only One in control, a Sovereign God, and He has promised to work all things together for the good of His people. That isn’t to say that we won’t have troubles in this world. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. His people can expect all sorts of troubles, but He tells us to be encouraged because He has overcome the world. The hardships we go through in this world are temporary. If we look at the end-time prophecies of the Bible, the coronavirus threat is nothing by comparison and the news media won’t be able to keep up with the horrific tribulation the world goes through at that time.

Ecclesiastes tells us there is nothing new under the sun. The people of Israel thought that a king would give them the peace and security they desired, rejecting God as their King. So God gave them Saul. God will often give us what we want to show us what we really need. We don’t need a human king or a bigger government; we just need God. He is the only source of the peace and security we desire. Anything else is a counterfeit. 

People look for answers everywhere but God. When it is bigger than we can handle, we look to our respective governments to protect us from this pestilence and blame them for not doing it perfectly. And when it’s too big for our government to resolve, we look for a bigger, more powerful coalition to save us from our troubles. Eventually, we will up with a single, worldwide government to discover that even a united coalition of nations will fail to save us. 

If I get sick, I’ll take more vitamin D and zinc, start a regimen of Echinacea and submit myself for testing to see if I’m infected with the virus for quarantine. But my trust is not in best practices for medicine, it is in my God and Savior. Someday, my body will fail. I’ll breathe my last breath in this frame, but that is not the end of my story. 

I have confidence in God and His promises, but you may wonder if God is real. I encourage you to ask Him yourself. He will answer any sincere question as the loving Father Who wants us to spend time with Him. He wants a relationship with us and longs to take us under His wings of protection. And He will bring healing if only His people do as He asks:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV)

copyright ©2020 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)

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