Finding God in COVID 19

Whenever something bad happens, thoughtful people ask why. We are created with a sense of fairness and a rational mind that lead us to expect things to be done for a reason. In its simplest form, even children grasp the concept that good behavior brings good consequences while bad behavior brings bad consequences. Although the adult world becomes much more complex, we continue to look for what may be called either fairness or justice.

Fairness and justice are not the same thing. They overlap at times; when someone gets what he deserves, we say that is fair, and it may also be just. However, there are times when justice is served, but it does not seem fair. If two people are found guilty of committing an illegal act, but due to unique circumstances only one goes to prison, the prison sentence is just, but it seems unfair that the other person goes free.

On a global scale, we know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust; the Bible says so. Many of the Psalms cry out against the unfairness of this reality. The wicked often prosper, as the Psalmist frequently laments, while the righteous suffer indignity. This seems unfair; it probably is. For most of us, fairness is a human construct while justice, true justice, belongs to God. Taking the long view, the Bible assures that ultimately, the wicked get what they deserve. Fairness and justice meet in the end – God’s ordained end.

In the case of our current global pandemic, neither fairness nor justice seem to be present. History teaches us that this is not a new phenomenon: Bubonic plague, Spanish Influenza, H1-N1, SARS and now COVD 19. To varying degrees, each of these disasters has swept across humanity with no regard for fairness or justice. Some would claim that either there is no god who controls events, or that any god who may exist is fickle or even malicious. Obviously, the Bible contradicts both of those conclusions.

The Bible makes it crystal clear that God is in control of even the disasters. Isaiah 45:7 is uncomfortable for some people as it clearly states that our God “forms the light and [creates] darkness; I make peace and I create evil.” The Hebrew word “evil” can be translated as “disagreeable, unpleasant, calamity, distress, adversity.” These things are only “evil” or wicked if one takes the view of Heaven which asserts that they do not belong in a perfect world.

There’s the rub: this is not a perfect world. To be sure, God created it perfect, but Adam’s rebellion against God brought on the curse that still holds creation in its grasp today. We often think of the curse being sin, and that is not altogether wrong. However, a close reading of curse in Genesis 3 describes what might be called a dissolution of order, otherwise known as chaos. Sin is chaos inasmuch as it represents a departure from the orderly way God intends His creation to operate. As a consequence of Adam’s rebellion, the earth began to devolve into chaos rather than continue in perfect order. Relationships between beings also fell apart, both human and divine. Even the human soul became a hotbed of chaos.

The chaos we are experiencing now, COVID 19, is just another result of Adam’s rebellion. Not all viruses are harmful to humans, much the same as not all bacteria being harmful and not all plants being poisonous and not all sea creatures being as dangerous as great white sharks. The order of Creation has been disrupted, but the Bible is clear that God uses even the disruption to accomplish His will. Allowing Joseph to be kidnapped and brought to Egypt set up the eventual saving of his family. God used the Assyrians and then the Babylonians to chastise His chosen people, then He used a Persian to bring the remnant back to the Holy Land. The things we call catastrophes are often used by God for His purposes.

The most stunning and meaningful example of this is the way God used the wickedness of the Jewish leadership to bring about the sacrifice necessary to bring His people back to Himself. When you think of the first disciples, especially Jesus’ mother, grieving for three days over the loss of the One they believed to be the Messiah, you can imagine they were asking why. By the third day, everything began to become clear. The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost a few weeks later sealed the deal. The disciples then understood what had happened; Peter said as much to the crowd that day asserting that the “lawless men” who crucified the Christ were unwittingly fulfilling God’s plan. (Acts 2:23-24)

As we struggle through the unsettling times created by the COVID 19 virus, we know why it is happening in the larger sense: COVID 19 is just another example of the chaos that pervades the creation. On an individual basis, we can also look for meaning if we try. Bible sales are at an all-time high; hopefully this means people are turning to God. Many people are behaving in more gracious ways than they would absent the crisis. As believers we should be doing everything we can to reach out with the love of God to whomever we can.

Also, believers should take the message of Psalm 62 to heart: worldly wealth and power are like a vapor that passes away, but God is a strong rock, a refuge in whom we can place complete confidence. We can rest amid the confusion because God has promised to be with us through the waters and in the fire. (Isaiah 43:2) Notice the promise is not to deliver us from calamity but to be with us in the midst of it. If the worst happens and the economy collapses while we suffer the loss of millions of people, believers should take the opportunity to draw closer to the God who promises justice but offers grace (aka unfairness) at the same time. The advice of the prophet Micah is timely: love justice, act kindly, and walk humbly with God. And remember: this chaotic world is not your home.