The COVID-19 Pandemic is creating mayhem across our world. It’s an uncertain time.
And yet for all the pain, the Bible teaches that for Christians, these trials are not wasted or futile. God is at work through it all, teaching us things that we might not otherwise learn (Rom 8:28, Heb 12:5-11).
But we modern westerners aren’t good at ‘uncomfortable’.
Like many westerners, I yearn for comfort. When I feel sick, I take medicine. When I’m hungry, I eat. If I’m thirsty, I turn on my tap. ‘Push button, fix problem’ is how our modern lives operate.
And so, we’ve grown used to comfort. We expect it. Undeniably, we demand it. And when God throws a spanner into our “doing of life” – such as a pandemic that disrupts everything – we don’t do so well. We get frustrated. We get scared. We grow anxious, and even panic. We modern people – even Christians – aren’t that good at ‘uncomfortable’.
We forget we’re in a fallen world – (Gen 3: 16-19). The world is fundamentally broken. Yes, modern technology has done an amazing job restoring much of this brokenness (and that’s not a bad thing). Yet it means we can deceive ourselves into thinking life is meant to be comfortable.
But it’s not.
As followers of Jesus, I believe that this pandemic gives us the opportunity to shift our gaze from the broken glories of this world, to the undying glories of the resurrected Christ. It can reorient our desires so that instead of yearning for worldly comfort, we seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness: “….and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matt 6:33).
This broken world is not heaven. And never can be. No government, no leader, no technology can ever usher in the new heavens and the new earth. That’s above our paygrade. Only God can do that!
In the meantime we occupy, comfortable in the faith that we have in our almighty God.
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)
Blessings and stay well…
Myles Waldron
Chaplaincy Coordinator – Prisons
Insideout Prison Chaplaincy