Can the Coronavirus a Blessing in Disguise?
As the world reacts to the Coronavirus pandemic it’s difficult to imagine that anything good could possibly come from this challenge.
But keep in mind that this current global crisis did not catch God by surprise and He was not helpless to prevent it. God is in control. He allowed it to happen but He chose the timing and He is still in control as to how far the Enemy is allowed to go with it.
Therefore, since God allowed it to happen, He is accomplishing something important with it. If we step back, focus on the Lord, and seek Him with all our heart, it’s possible to see some of the ways that He is using it.
Lest you think that I am being cavalier about this, please know that as I write these words, I have a dearly loved family member who has been diagnosed with COVID 19 and pneumonia. My beloved spouse is currently in the hospital fighting to breathe. So, I do not write these words without having faced this fight firsthand.
I said goodbye to my mate while we were wearing masks to protect the ambulance attendants, knowing that I’m not allowed to visit my loved one in the hospital, and not knowing when (or if) I will see my beloved again (in this life). But I choose to trust my Lord regarding whatever outcome He chooses.
It wasn’t easy. Yes, there have been fears and tears… but once I surrendered this battle to the Lord, He gave me His peace which surpasses human understanding (Philippians 4: 6-7) and He made it possible for me to get a full night of much needed sleep. But in order to hold onto His peace, I need to keep my focus on Him.
God may or may not answer our prayers the way we want but He will not abandon us. God allows whatever He chooses (Romans 9), but whatever He allows, He has a purpose in (Isaiah 46: 10). Even though I don’t understand (Isaiah 55: 8), God can be trusted (Psalm 91: 2) and He is faithful (Exodus 34: 6-7). He will walk with us through the challenge (Matthew 28: 19-20) and He will make good come from it (Romans 8: 28). We do not need to give into fear (2 Timothy 1: 7).
So, what are some of the things that God is working through the challenge that the world currently faces?
The primary purpose appears to be to wake up His people. We have been asleep. We have become brainwashed, programmed, ensnared, and dependent upon the things of this world.
God knows what the future holds and He is trying to prepare us for it.
Does He have your attention?
Wake-up call: Empty Shelves
Many people have become taught to run to the store and buy whatever they need whenever they need it. Not much planning required. But suddenly, people were faced with the possibility that they might not be able to get those needs met so easily.
Did you see how panicked people were about running out of paper products (e.g. paper towels, Kleenex, and toilet paper)? We have become dependent upon the world to supply us with stuff we can use and then throw away.
Our generation believes it is impossible to live without modern paper products. My parents and grandparents used cotton handkerchiefs (not Kleenex). They used cotton towels (not paper towels). Their babies used cotton diapers (not disposable paper diapers). But they did use toilet paper.
Modern toilet paper did not even exist until about 1880. Even if some version of it was mass produced in the 14thcentury, people have lived without toilet paper for thousands of years. Yet, our generation is clueless as to what to do if they run out of toilet paper!
BTW: Similar to one of the best ways to avoid getting C-19, the best way to deal with a lack of toilet paper is to use soap and water. In ancient days, people also used: leaves, a smooth stone, or a washable sponge / cloth.
The government has been warning people to be prepared for emergencies of up to 3 weeks (or 3 months). A lot of people just realized that they are not as prepared as they thought they were.
God tells us that the final 7 years of this age will be very difficult (Daniel 9: 27) and that we need to prepare (Matthew 25: 1-19).
God is our provider and our protector. Our trust is in Him. Even so, we do still have a role to play and we need to be prepared.
First and foremost, we need to prepare spiritually: we need to have a close relationship with the Lord. So close that there is no room for fear.
Second, we need to do our part in whatever physical preparations that God calls us to do. God had Joseph prepare Egypt and the world for the 7 years of famine (Genesis 41: 46-57). He probably isn’t asking you to save enough food to feed the world but He might be calling you to be ready to help others.
Jesus Christ told us to be willing to share what we have (Mathew 25: 31-46). Hoarding is not an option… but this calls for wisdom. Pray earnestly and let God lead you regarding when and with whom to share what He has given you.
Even if you don’t think that you will be here when things get really tough, please prepare to help your neighbor (spiritually and physically). Plus, there is a very strong possibility that you might still be here when things start to get worse. You are likely to benefit from having made some emergency preparations for both yourself and your neighbor.
Wake-up call: Social Distancing
Don’t you find it strange that over the past 50 years, people have become more and more socially distant from each other even though we live in more densely packed communities?
People used to live in small communities. They spent time with their family and neighbors, kids played outdoors, and people grew food in their own gardens. Today, hardly anyone in this generation knows how to grow food. Even fewer people care to know their neighbors. Most people in America already lead socially isolated lives.
Technology has made it possible to work more hours (not fewer hours) and it has almost completely disconnected the family. It has reduced real face-to-face relationships and substituded a facsimile that in reality, isolates them instead.
People are preoccupied with movies, television, internet, computers, social media, and cell phones. It appears that virtually everyone now has a smart phone (why?). And selfies have become the younger generation’s fascination. So, focusing on yourself 24/7 is supposed to be a good thing?
Families rarely eat dinner together anymore. They rarely interact face-to-face. This COVID19 stay-home “social distancing” quarantine gives people the opportunity to truly connect with their families… or they can shut themselves up in their rooms and continue their affair with technology and its imitation of life.
Each person is being given an opportunity to stop, think, and make a conscious choice.
Something worth considering:
This is supposedly a “physical” distancing mandate but they are calling it “social” distancing. Their word choice was not accidental, it was very carefully considered. So why are they encouraging people to become even more socially distant?
Wake-up call: Food Shortages
In some areas the Coronavirus 19 situation has given privileged non-third world countries a glimpse of what it is to not be able to buy the food you need.
That is actually a blessing because although this is temporary, a time is coming when the shortages will be much more severe: we are being given a chance to prepare (spiritually, emotionally, physically).
Most people in the USA have never seen empty shelves where food is supposed to be. Even during the 2008-2009 Global Food Crisis, the shelves in the USA remained full. Americans were clueless about what was happening in the rest of the world.
Our generation is experiencing worldwide food shortages for the very first time. The generation that lived during the Great Depression and the rationing of WW2 have seen it but very few of them are still alive to tell the story or share their wisdom.
It seems surreal, like it can’t really be happening. And we are totally unprepared for this scenario. We live in urban or semi-rural areas and all we know about getting food is which store carries what we want and at the best price.
It’s one of the most basic necessities in life but most of us don’t know how to grow any food for ourselves and don’t have the space to do it. How could that have happened? Good question.
This transition from rural communities (where people grew a lot of their own food) into urban areas (where people can’t grow their own food) was not an accident. It is part of a plan.
Although this has been going on behind the scenes for a while, it finally surfaced in September 1994 when the United Nations officially embraced Agenda 21 (that’s when the 1st Seal described in Revelation 6: 1-2 was opened).
They later updated the plan and called it Agenda 2030. It is their blueprint for creating the world as they think it should be by 2030.
So, why would the globalists want to pack everyone into metropolitan areas? And why do they keep insisting that the world’s population is too big?
Its about control. If they can control food, they can control the population, and the people. And it completely goes against what God commanded.
God told humans to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1: 28). He created a world that can handle whatever population there is. God wanted the earth to be filled with the people He created. He did not set a limit of 500 million people (despite what the Georgia Guidestones promote).
When the people of the world started to congregate in too large of numbers, God told them to disperse (Genesis 11: 1-9). God did not intend for people to live in massive numbers in tightly confined areas (e.g. metropolitan areas).
The world can support a much bigger population – especially if we were living the way God intended. There is still a vast amount of the earth that remains virtually unpopulated even though it is very livable.
Even though most people no longer live in areas where they can grow their own food, mankind has been given the ability to produce enough food to feed the world’s population. We even have ways to get the food to areas that are experiencing hardships (e.g. famine).
People aren’t going hungry because the earth cannot produce the food they need… they are going hungry because of how food is being controlled.
These are only a few examples of how we have been (and are still being) brainwashed by the globalists.
It is time to question the world’s incidious teachings and replace their falsehoods with truth. Yahweh God (the great I AM) is the origin of truth… so if you are seeking truth, start by seeking Him.
Wake-up call: Slow Down
In this fast-paced world our generation has been taught to be busy, overcommitted, and overindulged. Parents rush to/from work and rush their children to various extracurricular activities. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done. Perhaps we’ve been trying to do too much.
Spending time with God is often at the very end of our list (if He is even on the list). He is supposed to be first. Perhaps our priorities in this area need to be re-examined.
Suddenly the world is quieter. The roads are almost empty. People are stressed about the virus but they seem less stressed about former obligations. Stuff that used to seem important just isn’t as important as it used to be.
This would be an ideal time to reprioritize our lives. We’ve been required to lay down some of our busyness. The question is: will you pick all of it back up?
This quarantine allows people to stop, rethink, and choose how they will utilize this unexpected change in their schedules. Will they will hold onto whatever progress they made or go back to their former status quo?
God is giving each person a reminder to stop and make a conscious choice. Will we turn away from the trappings of this world and turn back to Him?
Things are very different when we truly put Him first in our lives. It changes our perspective, priorities, emotions, and our eternal future.
For a brief while, we are being given an opportunity to get off the hamster wheel and reconsider what we could do instead of going back into that place which takes us nowhere.
God loves us and He is trying to get us to turn back to Him. But He will allow us to choose: this fallen world or our Creator who loves us beyond measure (John 3: 16).
This place is not our home. He has prepared a place for us (John 14: 2-3). We just need to accept His invitation and keep our focus on Him. He does not promise that this life will be easy but He will walk with us through it all.
He offers eternal life with Him through salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ. But the decision to accept His offer is up to each of us.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8: 28)
He’s used my current challenge to inspire me to be a blessing to you and share with you the peace and encouragement He has so graciously given to me.
How might God be utilizing this current challenge to be a blessing in your life and/or to help you be a blessing to others?
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. (Deuteronomy 4: 29-30)
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