Faith, Fear, and Wisdom in the Pandemic

Reactions of Different Christians to the  Current Corona Virus Pandemic

I am hearing three kinds of opinions from Christians concerning this time of uncertainty in the world..  Some are saying that our faith should be stronger because we are under God’s protection.  They claim that those strong in faith will not catch the virus or will be healed quickly if they do.  They feel we should freely go about our normal activities, trusting God to take care of us.  They may also express opposition to government instructions to cut out or limit church services in order to curb the spread of the virus.   (However I’ve been pleased to see churches being innovative and doing more online outreach because of this.)

Other people are fearful, checking the news every couple of hours to find out how many more people in their area have been stricken with the Coronavirus.  They are afraid to go to the grocery store for fear of being exposed.  Many are stockpiling supplies and food just in case they will need to be quarantined for a long period of time.  With every growing statistic concerning the spread of the epidemic, their fear mounts.

A third group of Christians affirms faith in God’s protection, but also advises prudence in curtailing activities that have the potential for the contagious disease to spread.  They are not fearful, but they also are not care free about their activities.  They are practicing social distancing as advised by their local and state governments.  They want to keep themselves from picking up the virus and passing it on to someone else. However, they also stand ready to assist others if their help is needed.

Past Words of Wisdom That Can Help Us in the Present

I came across this statement from Martin Luther.  He described his philosophy about dealing with the Bubonic Plague, a very deadly pandemic that was prevalent in his city and other areas.  It was nicknamed the “Black Death.”

I tend to agree with this. I think Luther’s words give us a perspective on faith, fear, and wisdom during any type of pandemic.

As you have your devotions today, take some time to meditate on these.

Faith

When we walk by faith, it is important to remind ourselves of God’s promises to take care of us.  His Word builds our faith and gives us assurance of His love and care.

Romans 1:17 tells us that the righteous will live by faith.  That means that faith is ongoing.  We have to walk it out in our lives day by day.  We need constant refreshing from the Holy Spirit and revelation from God’s Word so that we can walk by faith.

Yesterday I randomly opened to the book of Psalms, knowing that I would find encouragement there as I face the concerns of life that are so prevalent right now.  Here’s what the Lord instantly showed me:

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,
    whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,
² can say to him,
    “You are my defender and protector.
    You are my God; in you I trust.”
³ He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers
    and from all deadly diseases.
⁴ He will cover you with his wings;
    you will be safe in his care;
    his faithfulness will protect and defend you.   Psalm 91:1-4 GNT

What wonderful promises!  These verses were exactly what I needed to read, for I was struggling with bronchitis.  Fear tried to grab at the edges of my mind.  What if I have the virus?  The deep cough and some gurgling in my chest worried me.  But God’s Word reassured me.

Fear

At times fear can be healthy.   It can keep us from doing something stupid.  Fear of getting hit by a car keeps me looking both ways before I cross a road.  Fear of falling keeps me from leaning way out over the edge of a cliff.

But yesterday I was tempted to let fear take over my mind.  It’s not unusual for fearful thoughts or worry to pop into our heads.  But what we do with fear is important.  If we let our minds stay in that place, fear will grow.  We concentrate on the what ifs instead of on Jesus our Rock.

By building faith through reading the Word of God and prayer, we let faith push out the fear.

Often in the Bible we hear the words, “Fear not.”

Here’s a good reason to not fear:
Isaiah 41:10  ESV  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

If we are in a close relationship with Jesus Christ, He is always with us to help us.  I often remember the verse in Hebrews in which He promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

That’s why I don’t have to allow fear to control my mind.  There have been times when I’ve had to speak out loud to fear and tell it to leave in Jesus’ name.  Our feelings are sometimes not really OUR feelings.  They can come from a demonic force.  As someone who walks with Jesus, you have the right to tell it to leave, and it will.

Yesterday fear came at me due to my physical symptoms.  Later it tried to come again when I learned that my son-in-law had been laid off.  But the verses God had shown me earlier in the day chased away the fear.  I’m at peace knowing that God will take care of my extended family.

Wisdom

I think wisdom is knowing how to put my faith into action.  The day by day wisdom that God gives me may be different from what He asks you to do.  He may call you to  go lay hands on someone with the Corona Virus and declare healing in Jesus’ name.  He may call me to stick close to home in order to take care of my husband who is struggling with health problems.

True wisdom is direction from and guidance by the Holy Spirit.

James 1:5 says that if you lack wisdom, you should ask God for it.  He will give it to you generously.  Later in James we find out what wisdom looks like.

James 3:17 ESV  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

We could spend a whole series of devotions just thinking about each one of those traits.  These traits are evidence of whether “wisdom” is truly from God or simply human wisdom.  God’s wisdom is on a higher level that any wisdom we come up with on our own.

We need God’s wisdom on a daily basis.  Pray about when and where you should go during this pandemic.  If you are having health problems, the Lord might lead you to  just stay at home and ask someone to shop for you when you need something.  If you hear of a need that someone has, pray about how you can help.