How should we as Christians respond in the midst of the coronavirus?
All that the news seems to talk about these days is the coronavirus and its impacts on society. I'm sure you've seen the stories about old ladies fighting over toilet rolls or shelves swept clean of all groceries, or global markets collapsing, but how are we as Christians to react in the midst of this pandemic?
Below, I'm going to share a little about how I'm facing this situation, my struggles and what I hope my attitude will be as we face increasingly difficult circumstances here in Australia.
In Australia, there's currently over 200 people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Sporting events have been canceled or put behind closed doors, some schools closed, and gatherings above 500 people have been encouraged to not to go ahead. but besides that, most other venues and businesses are still operating as usual.
The panic in the streets and media on the other hand is building, and as a result we are seeing supermarkets being depleted of all kinds of groceries and goods. People are struggling to buy toilet paper, rice and many other essentials.
How should we as Christians react in this environment?
It's tempting to go out and hoard toilet paper and other groceries out of panic, but if we all did this, that would exacerbate the situation even more. So instead of hoarding, why don't we start buying only what we need, and start sharing the excesses that we do have?
Instead of panicking and worrying, why don't we bring it all to God in prayer?
And how about if we start looking around the world, and there are many people in much worse conditions that we are in. Be grateful for what we have and that regardless of how bad things get, in Christ we have hope, and we know where our ultimate home is. And we know our Father in Heaven is in control.
Yes, it's not easy, and yes, I too find myself sometimes swept into the panic, but let us start encouraging one another as Christians to be light in these dark times, and let us together point to the ultimate source of hope, the only one who can give us true peace in these challenging times.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (1 Tim 1:7)
What do you think? How are you coping with the current situation? And how do you think we as Christians should respond to the coronavirus?
No fear but with perfect peace. Wisdom, proper hygiene and faith in God.
The same is happening here, people are nervously buying what little there is, we are at home, praising the Lord, praying and trusting that he will free us from the pestilence and will continue to support us. Classes were suspended, so it would not be necessary to leave to take them to classes, but my husband should work tomorrow, in this case, it is best to always put on the armor of God, as the word says "so that when the day comes bad they can resist to the end firmly. "
Read, confess and declare: Ephesians 6:10-20 and Psalm 91.
Much faith in God and tranquility, we also pray for each other.
God bless you.
Amen.
Hi brother @nextgen622, thanks for sharing.
It is true that the world in recent days has entered a situation of widespread fear, due to the constant bombardment of the news of the coronavirus, however, I think that as Christians we must make a difference, we are called to console, help and lend support to the needy
For now I try to encourage other people, I reorganize myself as Pastor to continue with the congregation, respecting the prevention protocols imposed by the government.
Thanks for your comment Pastor. I can imagine the challenges with ministering to your congregation in these difficult times. But with every challenge, there’s opportunities.
I read the following from a friend’s Facebook post a few days ago. Hope it is encouraging for you.
“ In the 3rd Century there was a pandemic that was sweeping across Italy, Africa and the western empire. The scholar Kyler Harper believes it was the Ebola virus. At its height it killed more than 5,000 people every day in Rome. Some cities had their population wiped out by more than 60 percent.
During the pandemic people panicked. Many people abandoned the sick in ditches and left the dead unburied. People fled areas where there was sickness and abandoned the elderly, the sick and the disabled.
But there was one class of people who refused to panic. The last non-christian Emperor was a man named Julian. He wrote: “that the recent Christian growth was caused by their ‘moral character, even if pretended,’ and by their ‘benevolence toward strangers and care for the graves of the dead.’” In a letter to another priest he wrote, “The impious Galileans (Christians) support not only their poor, but ours as well, every one can see that our people lack aid from us.”
Christians instead of leaving the city, stayed at great risk to themselves. They cared for the poor, the sick and the elderly.
The historian Rodney Stark said that you can trace the rise of Christianity to the three major plagues in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th Century. He said Christianity grew because people looked at the incredible witness of Christians during times of crisis. Instead of panicking, they demonstrated tremendous faith and compassion.
If you are a believer, this is an incredible opportunity to bear witness, to be people of faith and compassion. Instead of hoarding, give generously. Instead of panicking, respond thoughtfully. It’s a time to demonstrate a love that is sacrificial and a hope that no disease can destroy.”