COVID Crisis or Catalyst? - Denise Pass
Empty shelves and countless faces with masks concealing a worried expression pervade the media. Churches no longer meet in person and students are now educated in their homes. The highest unemployment rate since the early eighties and a volatile stock market add to the feeling of instability, and all of these vast changes happened seemingly overnight.
And as we wait each day to hear what is the next change that will be part of our new reality, maybe we can look up from our inconveniences and cry out to God for those who are on the frontlines risking their lives. And while we are at it, pray for those afflicted by this awful virus.
We are being attacked by something we can’t see but our God can still in the midst give us hope.
But hope does not just happen—it is chosen. And maybe what is a horrible event in the scope of human history can also be a catalyst for hope.
We’ve been here before, through times that are uncertain. And each time our God has shown Himself to be faithful.
In the midst of it all, we see God’s kind hand bringing good out of evil.
Family Time
Many families are home together, who were previously separated by crowded schedules.
Value of Human Life
The aged and the vulnerable have been considered as the world stops to ensure their safety.
A Ripe Harvest
The reality of our humanity—that 100% of us will die, is at the forefront of our minds. There is an openness to the Gospel and churches are all available online.
All that happens here on earth is known completely by God. And while we wish for things to get back to normal, perhaps there is something deeper that God is accomplishing.
How about you? Maybe looking at the positives happening from this is not enough to override the hardship you are experiencing. Maybe you are trying to hope but you don’t know how. Below are a couple of resources for you.
I invite you to join me for a new online Bible Study starting on April 6 from my book, 31 Days to Hope Reinvented.
To sign up, go onto my website or click the link below or here: www.denisepass.com/hope-reinvented-bible-study. There will be small groups and a free bible study and book for you to use! We hope you will join us!
If you are needing encouragement, I also invite you to visit this resource, below, with practical how-to’s in the midst of this international hardship.
https://www.stewardshipadvisory.com//coronavirus
Friends, the greatest news we have at all times is that our God is with us. This is our hope. He is enough for every sorrow and hardship we endure. As Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV), we can be content whatever the circumstances because Christ is our strength.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
May God strengthen you and may He continue to give strength and courage to those on the front line—the heroic medical workers who are tirelessly working to care for the sick.
All for the Sake of Christ,
