Coronavirus: A Divine Do-Over

A friend recently asked me a question that millions of Americans are wondering -- "What do you feel is the real reason God has allowed our circumstances?" I had actually been asking God that same question earlier in the day and the words "divine do-over" came to mind. Since there is no simple answer to that question this won't be a short post, but since you are stuck at home anyway, hopefully you will take the time to read this and seek God's answer to your questions about all this.

There is no denying that life as we know it has been shaken to the core in recent days. It is bad enough that we have to deal with death, illness, financial lack, unemployment, violence, natural disasters, and social injustice in the normal course of living in a fallen world. But throw in a global health crisis that no one can get a handle on and suddenly we find ourselves in a bad situation that gets worse by the minute, and we are HELPLESS. What IS God's purpose in all of this--in letting us suffer an ordeal and battle an enemy we are powerless to defeat on our own? I believe that God is giving each of us a divine do-over, a chance to assess our lives in ways we never imagined and to realign them with His good and perfect will and purpose for our lives.

What does that do-over look like for you? For me, my home confinement is giving me a chance to:

• Reflect on the recession of 2007-2008. At that time our family was up to our eyeballs in debt. My husband lost two jobs in banking in an 18-month period and we suffered a financial setback that resulted in filing for unemployment compensation, depending on food stamps, and seeking state-funded medical insurance for our kids just to survive. We had to ask our church for money to pay utilities and my in-laws for mortgage assistance to avoid foreclosure. With two school-age children, it was an especially challenging and stressful time for our family. While reflecting on the last recession might not sound like something one would do by choice, it has actually allowed me to recall God's goodness and provision in a very hard season of my life and to reinforce my faith in His ability to do it again.
• Assess how well (or poorly) we manage our resources of time and money. We recovered from the last recession and hope to survive this one, but we are assessing where we need to tighten up our budget so that we can weather the storm and help others along the way. I am also taking a hard look at the way I use my time and am trying to be more fruitful with my hours at home, while enjoying simple pleasures like bird watching, working in the yard, and walking more often.
• Reconnect with family and friends. My family and friends are located all over the country. Some are on social media and others are not. Having the additional time at home has allowed me to connect not only with them on social media, through handwritten correspondence, and by phone, but also to spend more time with my immediate family members who are at home with me.

Like many, I am looking to God's Word for answers. So many scriptures have come to mind during this crisis but one in particular stands out to me. In 2 Chronicles chapter 7, the LORD says these words to Solomon after he had completed the Temple: "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place" (vs. 13-15).

Verse 14 is one which Christians in America have held onto in every conflict and crisis we have known. But never has this verse spoken to me more clearly than in the midst of our current crisis.


• "If my people, who are called by my name..." refers to God's children, those who know Him and have been called by Him. Sometimes we take "if my people" to mean all people living in our country, but that's not what this verse says. Yes, we are all created in God's image, but we have not all embraced the personal relationship with God that was made possible through Christ's death and resurrection. Not all of us walk with God or consider Him our Father, or ourselves His children. Many don't live in the protection of that divine relationship.
• "will humble themselves"...Clearly we in America, whether Christian or not, have done a poor job of humbling ourselves before a holy God. Do you think God might be using all we are experiencing to humble us? Think of all the sports franchises, businesses, and events that have shut down or been canceled. Schools have closed and parents are suddenly thrust into the role of teaching their children, realizing that they are not as qualified as they need to be. We have learned that we are powerless to combat and defeat this virus -- an invisible enemy -- and desperately need the help and resources of others in order to just survive. I can't think of anyone who has not been humbled or suffered some sort of loss as a result of this calamity. Do you think God might be allowing us to finally see just how much we NEED Him? I hope so!
• "and pray, and seek my face..." As I write this I am listening to CNN. Like many, I feel compelled to turn to the news for my information. But what if we turned to God and His Word instead? What if we spent more time worshipping Him than worrying about this pandemic? We seek a cure for our physical bodies and our dwindling economy, but are we seeking what our spirits need -- that personal, intimate relationship with God and the truths of His Word?
• "and turn from their wicked ways..." We are all sinners. We are all guilty of judging others. We are quick to find fault in politicians and blame greed and politics for the push to send Americans back to work before we give social distancing a chance to slow down the spread of the virus. We are guilty of hoarding what others need because we fear there may be none left for us. Until we repent of our sins -- whatever they may be -- God will not hear our prayers.
• "then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and heal their land..." God will hear our prayers when we turn from our wicked ways (repent from our sins). We can pray and seek His face, but if we don't also turn from our wicked ways He will not forgive us and heal our land.

Only God can heal our world of this coronavirus. This is a plague of biblical proportions, in my opinion, and it is going to take more than modern medicine, political posturing, and manipulation of money to bring us out of this.

God is giving us all a divine do-over -- the chance to fully understand that we are nothing without Him and that nothing in this life is as important as a relationship with Him. This is our chance to reorder our priorities, to consider others better than ourselves, and to serve as His hands and feet in a world that is hurting and lost. It's not about us. It never has been.





Copyright © 2020 by Dee Dee Wike. All rights reserved. www.deedeewike.com

Lesson on Coronavirus from the Birds Outside My Window

If anyone had told me we would ever experience the disruption to daily life or the stress of being without certain commodities we have come to take for granted in America, I would never have believed it.  Yet here we are.  COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, has been declared a world pandemic by the WHO.  What started as an outbreak in China has quickly spread around the world and invaded our shores -- an unwelcome enemy threatening not only our physical and mental health, but our economy as well.  Schools, churches, and businesses have shut down as people have been urged to self-quarantine to protect themselves and help slow down the spread of this potentially deadly virus.

The entire country of Italy is on lock down, with Europe currently the epicenter of the virus.  In the U.S., major sports leagues and franchises have canceled sporting events, including the NCAA tournament.  Colleges have extended their spring breaks and advised their students that courses will now be completed online.  Disney, Universal, and other studio theme parks have closed.  Broadway has turned off its lights and canceled performances. Store shelves are bare and small businesses everywhere are feeling the trickle down effect of lost revenue as a result.  The news gets worse by the hour as the number of deaths and confirmed cases of infection continues to grow.

The seriousness of all this caught up with me when I received word that our church would be shutting down for two weeks and that all worship services and activities would be canceled, an unprecedented but prudent and precautionary move designed at keeping our congregation healthy and doing our part to slow down the spread of the virus in our community.   As I prepared the press releases and social media posts I felt nearly overwhelmed by the stress that has become familiar to so many.

Turning off a news cast, I looked outside at the birds eating happily at my feeder and it occurred to me that they know something which many of us have forgotten -- God is in control and we have no need to fear.  Jesus said,  "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10: 29-31, NIV).

For the birds outside my window nothing has changed.  God is still God.  The sun still rises.  No matter the storms they must weather, they still sing the praises of the One who cherishes and cares for them.

If you feel stressed and anxious because of this pandemic, just remember that you, my beloved, are worth more than many sparrows!



Copyright © 2020 by Dee Dee Wike. All rights reserved. www.deedeewike.com