Finding God’s Peace During Covid 19
I shared a message on Sunday to a reduced church audience due to the corona virus. After cancelling communion the previous week for the first time in 132 years, we served it in latex gloves with great care.
Yesterday our state closed churches and restaurants so this Sunday we’ll be going digital (like many others). Later, President Trump urged groups of ten or less. Some nations are in complete lock down. Numbers of the infected and measures to combat the illness change daily–as you well know.
But let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1).
You can find God’s peace during Covid 19.
Finding God’s Peace During Covid 19
None of us likes disruptions. The panic of the coronavirus the past few weeks has been very unsettling. The pandemic’s ramifications change daily, upsetting financial markets, closing public gatherings, schools and universities, church activities, impacting people’s jobs, and many details of our individual lives.
These days require great wisdom in three areas.
KEEP PERSPECTIVE
Seeing the big picture always helps us understand where we are. Unless we are beginning the Last Days (which I doubt, but only God knows), then our current malady will pass as many have before.
In fact, life in a fallen world has always included major disruptions and trials–far more numerous than the seasons of peace.
Some of us are young and haven’t experienced panics before. Others have forgotten that the past one hundred years saw major “disruptions” nearly every decade. They usually came upon us through disease, war, or economic problems.
- 1914-18 – The Spanish flu, the last major global pandemic, caused 50 million deaths worldwide (before the age of vaccines) with 670,000 people dying in the United States. Much of the disease was spread in the “trenches” of World War I–which cost another 40 million lives.
- 1929-39 – The Great Depression disrupted life for millions of people and brought the American economy to its knees. My wife’s grandpa left Kansas during that time (where he was making $1 a day) to find a job out west. Many families suffered during this time of great anxiety.
- The 1940’s brought World War II upon humanity–bringing many hardships to families, the economy–and 75 million people dead in Europe and Asia.
- 1950’s & 60’s – The Korean and Vietnam wars served as hot-spots during the rise of global communism. Americans felt only the “Cold War” effect. But globally, some 80 million people may have lost their lives (half in China under Mao Zedong).
- 1968 saw an outbreak of the Hong Kong flu. One million people worldwide died including 100,000 in the United States.
- The 1980’s saw the AIDS epidemic sweep the world. AIDS is a behavioral disease, so not all people were threatened. Still, 32 million people died.
- 2001 – Most of us remember the great disruption of 911 and how it changed us. Global Muslim terrorism since then has killed 110,000 people–mostly other Muslims in the Middle East.
- 2009 – Many forget that the H1Ni virus–more commonly known as the “Swine Flu,”– erupted just a decade ago claiming 575,000 lives worldwide and 12,000 in the U.S.
That’s just the past hundred years. Multiply that by 6,000 years of human history, no modern medicine, and many warring nations and one can only conclude that tribulations are a “normal” part of life.
Also remember that about 150,000 people’s lives are disrupted by natural death every day.
So, for perspective, right now there are 194,727 confirmed cases of the corona virus worldwide resulting in 7,896 deaths (March 17, 2020). The CDC reports 5,723 infections in the USA with 97 deaths.
Those numbers will rise. But right now, they’re very small compared to past disruptions.
CHOOSE YOUR SOURCES OF INFORMATION CAREFULLY
Germs don’t have intentions. They’ve been with us since the Fall and will remain until God creates a new heaven and new earth–germ and disease-free (Revelation 21:1-3).
But moral agents do have purposes during events–and there’s a lot of “cross-fire” right now between them.
First, always remember that invisible demonic forces exist to frighten and destroy human beings (Ephesians 6:12-13). You hear their “echo” in various politician’s pronouncements and much media hype (especially social media).
Reject the voices of fear and death.
Second, select your media sources carefully because they make money and gets clicks for sensationalizing the news. Some of them want America to be cut down to size. Others desire our current Administration to fail–with the corona virus providing the latest “crisis too good to waste.”
I am staying away from cable news right now, listening to one reputable podcast daily and few other on-line reads.
Third, choose wisely which political leaders you believe. Though the media is primarily leading the panic, certain politicians have closed some businesses prematurely in fear–probably deepening the coming recession.
This wasn’t done during the Swine flu epidemic just a decade ago when 12,000 Americans died.
Why are they doing this? Because of agendas. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants America to nationalize certain industries (go communist). Bernie Sanders wants the government to take over health care (same). Others believe this is a good “trial run” for bringing authoritarian government to our nation and eventually the world (one world government).
I believe the Trump-Pence Team is striking the right balance. They certainly saved America from the fate of Italy and Spain by banning travel from Asia in January. Some closures may be too severe and economically costly, but they are sincerely attempting to knock out the virus in 15 days (its shelf life for infected humans) so that calm can return over the next few months. The lack of test kits falls squarely on the CDC. Private business is ramping up to fill the void.
Thank God they’re praying in the White House and President Trump called for a special National Day of Prayer this past Sunday.
That’s the final wise key to navigating the future.
WALK IN GOD’S PEACE
I told our congregation last Sunday that this epidemic went global due to a failure of the Communist Chinese government to practice “confession”–a key to human freedom (being the main conduit of repentance). By not quickly owning up about the virus, not confessing its need to the world, and covering up the problem to try to save face–we now suffer a global pandemic.
Pride kills–both individually and corporately (Isaiah 14:12-21).
Peace is ultimately not the maintenance of the status quo or a set of good feelings. It’s a permanent characteristic of the Being of God–with Jesus Christ reigning as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
You experience true peace to the degree that you walk with God–in repentance and faith (Psalm 23). If you’re not sure of that relationship with Him, take the extra time that closures have given to pray in your home, take a long walk, ask his forgiveness for your sins, and commit your life and family into his secure arms.
Hard times don’t last but your walk with God will (1 John 2:17).
Greg Laurie encourages us:
“Maybe you grew up in church and walked away from your faith or maybe you have never considered God at all. Right now, is the time to do it. Jesus died on a cross 2,000 years ago for you and me to give us hope and life not only for now but for eternity. If we turn to Him, we can confidently replace fear with faith.”
And peace.
Then go to work to help others.
Kay Cole James reminded us this week of the extremely wise British World War II motto:
Stay Calm and Carry On.
With perspective, discernment and God’s peace, we will certainly conquer Covid 19.
Guaranteed.
Save the World then Plant Your Vineyard
No, the title doesn’t refer to the coronavirus. I’ll comment on that next week.
This week I’m fascinated that Albert Einstein spent a portion of his life looking for the “secret of the universe.” I will share his own words in a moment.
His quest caused me to ask a similar question:
What are the master keys of life?
As I pondered this question, I remembered Noah. In his amazing journey–written in the Bible some six thousand years ago–lies a nugget of truth that puts these thoughts together.
Noah’s life contained two master keys (or activities). Yours and mine should also.
Save the world then plant your vineyard.
Socialism’s Three Aces & Two Jokers
My faith is somewhat restored in the American voter after Joe Biden’s Super Tuesday surge lifted him once again to front-runner status for the Democrat nomination for president. After winning nine states, he leads Bernie Sanders in the delegate count by about sixty delegates (though Joe looks every bit his 77 years of age and appears to be in early stages of dementia).
But Bernie Sanders won four states including nearly one million votes in the big enchilada of California. This despite being an ardent atheist/socialist who hates America, who never really had a real job, became a millionaire through nepotism/capitalism, and whose ideas would crash the American economy and probably lead to a totalitarian government.
How could anybody in their right mind vote for him?
Because socialism has three aces in its deck of cards (but also two jokers).
Socialism’s Three Aces and Two Jokers
I’ve written a few articles this past year on the evils of socialism. I never believed that Marxism/socialism/communism–all fruits of the same atheistic political tree–would become fashionable in the West in my lifetime. After all, this centralized philosophy brutally killed over 100 million people in the 20th century, imprisoned billions behind an Iron/Bamboo Curtain and led to misery everywhere it was tried.
Lee Edwards of the Heritage Foundation points out how India, Israel and the United Kingdom also dabbled in socialist waters before seeing the light.
Here’s his summary in Three Nations That Tried Socialism and Rejected It:
“As we have seen from our examination of Israel, India, and the United Kingdom, the economic system that works best for the greatest number is not socialism with its central controls, Utopian promises, and OPM (other people’s money), but the free-market system with its emphasis on competition and entrepreneurship. All three countries tried socialism for decades, and all three finally rejected it for the simplest of reasons—it doesn’t work.”
“Socialism is guilty of a fatal conceit: It believes its system can make better decisions for the people than they can for themselves. It is the end-product of a 19th-century prophet whose prophecies (such as the inevitable disappearance of the middle class) have been proven wrong time and again.”
“According to the World Bank, more than 1 billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty in the past 25 years, ‘one of the greatest human achievements of our time.’ Of those billion, approximately 731 million are Chinese, and 168 million Indians.”
“The main driver of this uplift from poverty has been the globalization of the international trading system. China owes most of its success to the trade freedom offered by the U.S. and the rest of the world.”
“The latest edition of Index of Economic Freedom from The Heritage Foundation confirms the global trend toward economic freedom: Economies rated ‘free, or mostly free’ enjoy incomes that are more than five times higher than the incomes of ‘repressed economies’ such as those of North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba.”
“Whether we are talking about the actions of an agricultural country of 1.3 billion, or the nation that sparked the industrial revolution, or a small Middle Eastern country populated by some of the smartest people in the world, capitalism tops socialism every time.”
If what Edwards says is true (and I agree), then why are millions of Americans in 2020, especially younger Americans, voting for their own demise?
Because socialism has “three aces” in its deck of cards that make it very attractive.
Ace #1 – Fallen human nature
Socialism appeals enticingly to our fallen nature which tends to put ourselves first and finds it natural to take the easy road over that of self-control and hard work. In our “flesh,” we want as much “free stuff” as we can get–which remains the huge draw of Bernie’s message. Free healthcare. Free college. Free housing. Free everything!
Fallen, non-redeemed human beings want someone else to take care of them–even if they lose their own self-respect and everything they possess. Me-first handouts are the road most desired.
Ace #2 – Unthinking Citizens
One of the greatest Satanic achievements in the past two generations has been abysmal decline of both morals and public education. In much of the Western World, secular activists have successfully removed the Bible and character virtues from the government schools, refused to teach civics and history accurately, and succeeded in loading many universities with Marxist professors.
Today’s youth are voting for socialists in droves because they are ignorant of both reality and history. The children of the Internet–with vast resources of learning available to them–have become the stupidest generation in memory–while mesmerized with self on their hand-held machines.
Samuel Adams promised the American nation three hundred years ago that if “virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people they will never be enslaved. This will be their security.”
Today virtue is out of style and knowledge of right and wrong on the wane. Freedom will expire with it if we don’t start thinking again.
Ace #3 – Deficit Spending
It’s easy to blame the Fall and progressive education for the seduction of socialism. But deficit spending?
Yes–by politicians in both parties and all of us citizens who have let our nation roll up 23 trillion dollars in debt. We gaze blankly at that staggering total, hear Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren talk about adding scores of trillions more–and don’t blink an eye. That “invisible” debt hasn’t hurt us yet (we think), so why not trillions more?
That’s what unthinking and inexperienced people believe.
But it’s a lie–a facade. The debt will catch up to us. And the more of it, the faster and more devastating comes the crash.
Thus, with the aces of human depravity, ignorance, and debt amnesia in his deck of political cards, Bernie Sanders is succeeding at bluffing a portion of the American electorate toward socialism.
Rep. Liz Cheney points out this philosophy will lead to the death of freedom:
“We know that socialism extinguishes freedom, we know that socialism steals power from the people, we know that socialism creates authoritarianism. It has to create authoritarianism, because as [former British Prime Minister] Margaret Thatcher said, socialists cannot let people choose, because if the socialists let people choose, they know the people won’t choose socialism.”
Last week Vice President Mike Pence told the truth about socialism to a cheering crowd at the C-PAC gathering in Washington D.C.:
“Socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried, in every era in every continent. Freedom works. It was freedom and not socialism that ended slavery, ended two world wars, [and] has made America a beacon of hope.”
Though the socialist movement contains three attractive aces, it also features two jokers that do not enhance its hand–Sanders and Warren. Bernie is angry and Warren is mean-spirited. Both lie about their past, their programs, and remain power-hungry politicians that most American voters are rejecting at the polls in 2020.
But the temperature of Sanders/Warren socialism is rising and has given America a fever. What happens in the future when a young, “attractive” socialist leads this insidious parade?
I hope we don’t find out and here’s what we must do.
We need to re-evangelize the American nation to combat selfish human nature. We must push for school choice in education to elevate good teaching and God’s truth. And we must vote for courageous civic leaders that have the guts to attack the deficit.
We desperately need God back at the center of our national life. Jesus Christ alone possesses the true vaccine for the virus of socialism–revival in His Name and through his power.