10 Ways to Honour God in the midst of Coronavirus/COVID-19

Honouring God is practical - its not just about ideas or theories or abstract concepts, its about God's place in every aspect of our daily lives. It's about life both in the privacy of our thoughts and decisions and priorities, and as well as the public areas of our families and communities, in how we communicate with others, how we act toward one another.

One of the most practical areas of life affecting many people around the world at this time is the arising and spread of the Coronavirus causing COVID-19 cases. Different governments and countries are responding in different ways (and honour-shame perspectives are influencing that too), but how should we respond?

As I pondered this, I thought of how it is maybe a good practical lesson and case study about how we think through what it means to honour God in very practical terms (Romans 1:21). We honour him by:

1. Acknowledging God and trusting Him - Prov 3:5-6, Romans 1:21

• God is still God - he isn't less powerful or less in control or less aware of your situation just because a new virus shows up in the human population.

• Don't lean on your own (or this world's) understanding….-choose to look at the situation through the lens of the truth of God's word not only God-less worldly perspectives and fear-filled community reaction. Culture and tradition are not the answer, purely human wisdom is not the answer…This is not a pleasant situation, but maybe God wants to say something bigger to this world through it?

• Remember - God is always having a bigger picture in mind. We might ask 'why' but, We live in a fallen world, and Wake up calls are often painful. Sinful man brings tragedy on himself. There may be a multitude of reasons contributing to the 'why' but like with Joseph in Genesis, ultimately what might seem evil, God can plan for good. We need to look to God in this and seek to be part of his work in the midst of this.

• Take care of what God has given you - your body as his temple, your family and friends, your neighbours

• Take care of your own health and boost your immune system by eating wisely, sleeping well, make sure your are not overloading/irritating/inflaming your lungs (pollution, chemical fumes, cigarette smoke) or straining your liver and immune system, by lowering their God-given natural functions. People with obesity or underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension are more likely to have serious or fatal infections.

• Though we should listen to what medical authorities are saying, and our world has advanced significantly in medical knowledge since the Spanish Flu of 1918, BUT our trust for our lives and our futures we must remember is not in the hands ultimately of medical technology or knowledge, but is in the hands of God, and that is where our trust should be.
• be encouraged by this little video message from Joni Eareckson Tada

2. Getting knowledge, so we are not unecessarily ignorant - be wise

• We honour God by using the brains he has given us, and not allowing ourselves to be gullible. We should keep abreast of news alerts and updates.

• Don't get all your information from alarmist sources or even just the general news - do your own research as well, be a seeker of truth, approach this with a level clear head rather than emotional pressure.

• remember at this stage the virus while being easily spread is not showing itself to be severe for most people, it is not the only virus that can kill people. Thousands die from the flu every year and we don't live in constant panic. Yes, this is worse than the flu especially for those over 65 and those with other already existing health issues, but stressing over the virus will lower your immune system even further. So far children seem less likely to get it severely, so that is good news. If we look at China and how many have contracted the virus and/or died and the numbers seem big, it is also because their population is big to start with. Lets be alert, and act wisely but not unecessarily alarmed.

• Practice good hygiene (something we should all do all the time anyhow) and learn about ways to strengthen your immune system. Make sure you wash your hands properly and often, and teach your kids to do the same - everyone should watch Dr John Campell's excellent handwashing video

• Things that lower the immune system include: - low Vit D, not enough good nutrients in the diet, poor quality or not enough sleep, high glucose/sugar, stress.  
• You may also need to stay at home more and avoid gatherings if you are in a more 'at risk' health category

3. Not panicking but being people of peace - Philippians 4:6,7

• We honour God by trusting him, so stay calm, trust God, pray.

• pray for others to seek the peace that only God can give

• pray for his plans and purposes to be accomplished through this - his purposes are far bigger than we see

• we should not be people of worry, but of worship, not of panic but of prayer, not of fear but of faith.

• fear should not direct or govern our decision making and we need to repent of our fear and anxiety

• help your kids to not be filled with fear - remind them of the promises in God's Word - Ps 47:8, 42:5, 31:14, 27:1

• don't feed community/neighbourhood fear, but bring logic, calm and point people to trust in God.

• ...here's a reminder about trusting God in our times of waiting and anxiety

4. Thanking God for your security in Him  

• We honour God by thanking him - Romans 1:21

• thank him for medical researchers, doctors, hospitals, medicines, the immune system of our bodies

• thank him for each day you have from him and pray for courage and wisdom and love to make the most of each day for his glory and the good of others.

5. Loving your neighbours 

• We honour God by loving others  - neighbours, friends, the vulnerable, the neglected, the poor, and even our enemies

• What role should churches play in this outbreak? Someone suggested: "The church has an important role here as it has had in every major pandemic and that is to care for the sick," ….. The most vulnerable are the elderly and those with other medical conditions. Christians should be prepared to care for them, whether that means bringing food to their door or providing comfort: "Somebody's going to have to take care of them because there aren't enough healthcare workers and there aren't enough hospitals. Sometimes [the Christian's role] may be to be there and help someone die well." 

• churches in Singapore who are buying thermometers for poor families in their neighbourhood - what could you and your church do?

• take necessary hygiene precautions to reduce and slow the transmission/spread to/from others…..remember coughs and sneezes spread diseases so turn your head away from people and cough/sneeze into a tissue and then discard it or into the crook of your elbow, wash hands often, keep surfaces clean, avoid touching your face, maybe avoid shaking hands, limit kissing, practice social distancing, be innovative and adaptive to new ways of greeting one another.

• think of friends and neighbours who might be elderly or having underlying health conditions who might benefit from someone else getting groceries for them so they don't have to go into public places, or others who are needing to self-istolate at home and may need extra supplies.

• take the lead in showing what it means to sacrifice your own pleasures for the good of others, isolate if you need to, stay away from public gatherings if you should.

• don't shame or ridicule others for being concerned (as I am hearing is happening in some places)

• there will be economic impact through travel reduction reducing tourism and trade. There may be friends and neighbours who will face economic hardship in reduced business income, job losses or family income earners being sick or quarantined and unable to work.

• we can maybe learn from experiences of the 1918 Spanish Flu such as in this short video interview with a 100 year old lady who was 10 years old at the time of the Spanish Flu 

• Social distancing may involve considerations regarding churches worship service, Sunday School or events, including older folks or those with vulnerable health not attending for a while.  

• *Wretched Radio also did a great segment including words of wisdom from Luther during the Plague and whether churches should still meet. Pastor Mark Dever from 9Marks also did a short radio message answer to the question about churches meeting here. Canada also published guidelines here to help decide whether to go ahead with events and gatherings.

6. Praying 

• Seeking God in prayer, acknowledges him and honours him, so pray...

• for health care workers, medical researchers, pathologists, government leaders, those who are ill, those who have health challenges that make them more vulnerable to infection, for people to be diligent in hygiene measures

• for those who don't know God and are filled with fear and panic

• for Christians to be salt and light in their communities at such a time

• for yourself to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and not the circumstances - remember like Peter walking on the water and suddenly began to sink when he looked at the waves instead of Jesus...that what threatens to be over your head is already under Jesus' feet!

• that people would be caused to look outside themselves and realise they are not in control of life, and instead be caused to seek God

• ask God what he wants you to learn in this, and in what ways he wants you to respond in ways that please him

• that God would use this to his glory and purposes, and that we would rest in that confidence

7. Keeping your eyes fixed on God and not the circumstances in this (and any) situation. 

• We honour God by seeking his eternal and spiritual perspective and purposes in our situations, not just being consumed with the 'in our face' alarms

• Ask yourself what God is wanting to teach you or say to you in the midst of this.

• Consider how this situation might strengthen and grow your faith

• Ask the Lord to show you how to be his hand of blessing to those around you in the midst of this situation

8. Using this as an opportunity 

• We honour God by not simply re-acting to a physical problem, but also responding in a godly way to greater issues involved...not just to demonstrate to the world the peace that Christians have, but also use it as an 'entry' to get people thinking about eternal questions. 

• Ask people what they fear the most in this, or why they think the world is in a panic? 

• Let God use this situation to stir their hearts to think beyond the immediate, to think beyond materialistic satisfaction, beyond happiness through health or travel or stock market gains, or the world's reliance on one nation for almost all its manufactured goods simply because of economics. 

• This might be opportunity to be able to speak about being ready to face death in a day and age that avoids the topic.

9. Looking up 

• We honour God by looking beyond our circumstances and this world, to Him...be reminded that your redemption draws near (Luke 21:28), but meanwhile be all God wants you to be as a light in a dark world until your days are complete.

10. Remembering that many of these are truths that should govern our life everyday. 

• This is a 'new' virus with 'new' implications for daily life. At the time of writing this, it is looking like it won't be as bad as the Spanish Flu, but it is significantly worse than the regular flu.

• There is a very real concern that this virus will is producing a high infection rate which will result in higher numbers going to hospitals which are already stretched to capacity and the more people who can't get adequate medical care, the higher the severity or mortality rates could be. So slowing the rate of infection is of great benefit to the load on the medical system. It is imperative that we all do what we can to 'slow the curve' so that medical care centres are not overwhelmed by a huge number of cases at one time.

• But lets not forget that there are diseases and difficulty in our world every day and plenty of people already in our world who are suffering and dying for various causes including a lack of adequate access to medical care.

I recently was sent the following message:

Pause a minute…

One of the worst days so far for Coronovirus was the 10th of February. On that day, 108 persons in CHINA died of Coronavirus.

But on the same day

26,283 people died of Cancer

24,641 people died of heart disease

4300 people died of diabetes

and on that day, Suicide, unfortunately, took more lives than the virus did, by 28 times.

Moreover, Mosquitoes kill 2740 people every day, HUMANS kill 1300 fellow humans every day and Snakes kill 137 people every day

…take a deep breath and wash your hands.

I cannot totally vouch for the complete accuracy of the exact numbers above, but the context is certainly correct and the cancer figure for the world is correct as per 2017 data. These figures don't even take into account those who die from affects of drugs/alcohol or road accidents or even the normal annual flu. And this is not to say that the CoOVID-19 figures won't get much worse worldwide, and they probably will, but...

The reality we need to be reminded of is that every person on this planet will die (except for Christians still alive when Jesus comes again), and although the means of physical death may vary and are concerning, the more important 'disease' that needs attention is that of sin in every heart where the 'case fatality rate' is 100% and impact is eternal.

Our own devotional conclusion message for today 6 March was:

'We need to view life and death—our neighbors—with an eternal perspective. We must understand that physical death separates us from those we love for a short time, but death without Christ separates those we love from the presence of God forever. May a passion for God and an awareness of eternal realities compel us to live and to preach the gospel. Speak about it to someone today.'

Let's be people who are not ruled by only a human perspective and wisdom on this, 

but whose ultimate trust is in the Lord 

and through whom we live and love and have our being. 

Let's honour God in this and live as light in a dark world.

*******

For additional helpful information:

*Pastor John Piper addressing the issue of 'making sense of coronavirus'……  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfStzaznIzk

*Great perspectives and reminders from Pastor Todd Wagner, and here for reflections on how Spurgeon responded to the cholera outbreak of 1854

*Leaders, including church leaders, have a responsibility to lead by example in all the areas above and not lead in ignorance or laziness. Here is a great article that covers clearly and succinctly the facts that leaders need to know and keep in mind.

*For level-headed up-to-date medical information updates check out on Youtube:

• Dr John Campbell in the UK eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOTz9duXwo&t=315s
• Med Cram updateshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quDYb_x54DM

and related topics eg. here for need for good sleep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOTz9duXwo&t=315s

*please note that this data is not meant to be medically authoritative and I encourage you to do your own research as knowledge about COVID-19 continues to grow and change.