Ep. 30 - COVID-19: A Christian's Perspective
Why did God allow this pandemic to happen? In this episode, I talk about the current COVID-19 pandemic that is still plaguing this world. Could it be that God is speaking to the world through this pandemic? How should we respond and act, knowing God is in control?
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Intro (0:07)
Hey what is going on! Welcome to The Message Podcast with yours truly, Angel! This episode is about my perspective on the Coronavirus situation we’re currently still in, and how I feel God wants us to respond in the midst of all this uncertainty. Was going to do this episode probably two episodes ago, but I was assuming I suppose that it wasn’t as relevant because I thought by now things would get back to normal. I was partially wrong. We’re still in the middle of this pandemic. Depending on where you live, things may be more normal for you than it may have been months prior. Over here in Long Island, we’re in Phase 4 but all the fun stuff like going to movie theaters, and gyms has no set date of reopening. Just recently I had to order a bench and some dumb bells so that I could start working out from home since the gyms here in New York as of right now, don’t have a set reopening date. So anyways, this episode is actually largely inspired from leading a portion of my church growth group I’m a part of, a while back, where I spoke on my thoughts on the COVID-19 situation. I’m not only humbled, but also honored that I have a gift of being able to speak and articulate my thoughts well, so I wanted to use that to share some hope for those who may be feeling anxious through this whole ordeal with this COVID-19 virus that’s out in the world right now because trust me, I’m not exactly too happy that this pandemic is still around and it’s currently August 2020 aka my Birthday month.
Fear Is Not of God (01:44)
Now I can’t lie to you guys, I went through my short period of worry during this quarantine. A couple of months ago, I started to develop a scratchy throat at work. First thought that came into my head was that I had the Rona. Normally when I get sick, I get a sore throat, followed the next day by sneezing, then coughing the rest of recovery, and then I’m back at 100%. I tried to fight off those thoughts, but it was tough because I knew my body was fighting something off. I know my body well enough to know this scratchy throat wasn’t normal. Later on at work, my hands got cold as if I had just rinsed it in cold water. I remember rubbing my hands constantly to try and bring some warmth there. Again, I knew something was off. I do not get cold easily and when my co-workers said they weren’t cold, it made me worry again that I was potentially going to be fighting off something more serious than a cold. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was go to bed, but I was freezing. No violent shaking, but I felt as if my blood pressure had went down. I ended up calling off work the next day, and spent much of the day resting, which was hard when my head was hurting pretty bad. I had Face-timed my doctor who specializes in the lungs. He didn’t suggest a test unless it got serious, which thankfully it didn’t. Actually everyday after that I got better. Now I’ll never know for sure what I got, and shoot for all I know my body fought off the Rona, but what I do know is that I can empathize to those who are still a little anxious during these times. I went to sleep thinking, I’ll find out for sure when I wake up. I don’t want anyone out there thinking I’m always a worry-free guy, but I do know the truth. I do know that God is in control of it all.
So the first thing I’m going to touch on, is the fear and panic so many of us have been fighting with. A while ago, I saw a clip on Instagram where a pastor was preaching about how the act of worrying is actually a sin. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. And the more I thought about it, the harder that statement hit. Sin in laymen’s terms, is disobeying God.
Let’s look to scripture so you understand a little better at the point I’m making here. In Philippians 4:6-7 The Word says,
‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’
What this pastor was speaking on made this verse hit a little differently. See normally I just see this as God encouraging us to go to Him with our worries and troubles, however this time I read this in the lens of, what if I don’t? What if I decide not to go to God for my worries? What if I do decide to worry? That’s not something I’ve thought about much about, especially in this type of context here. I obviously know disobeying God is a sin, but to think that if we do decide to worry, that it is considered sin, is pretty deep. After all God is saying in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.”
How many times in life do we find ourselves worrying? I’m sure in a single week alone we can count several instances. Normally we look at sin at something serious like lying, or stealing. I suppose because those sins more clearly affect others. Yet so does worrying. Worrying shows us distrust in God. Worrying undermines the true power of God. After all worrying is not of the character of God. God isn’t afraid of anything, and if we’re to be like him, then it only makes sense that we aim to kill thoughts of worrying in our lives. Easier said than done I know, after all we all are human. One thing I do not want you to do though, is be hard on yourself. We stumble daily but God wants us to continually move forward in our walks towards Him. If anything we should see this verse as comforting also because, God cares about us so much, that He instructs here in Philippians to not worry about anything, and yes this includes COVID-19.
Let me ask you a serious question. Do you think God was taken by surprise that a pandemic broke out in 2020? You think he’s scratching His head in heaven, unsure of what to do? Of course not! Why isn’t God thrown off by this pandemic is because, He allowed it to happen.
Why Is God Allowing This to Happen? (06:23)
The question I’ve been getting so often is, Angel you’re a christian right? So why is this happening right now? Look I don’t know anything for sure as to why, but I do know that if God wanted to, He could get rid of it in an instant. Yet, He hasn’t. Now is it because He can’t stop it? Does this Coronavirus have more power than the living God? No. The word of God says He is almighty. The Word says God is sovereign. The word of God says He is in control of everything. COVID-19 is not excluded from that.
In the book of Matthew 8:24-27 there’s a great example that exemplifies the power of God,
'Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”'
First off God was sleeping, because He wasn’t worried about a thing. After all, why would He? He is in control over everything. When He is woken up by His disciples, He shows them as well why they shouldn’t have worried in the first place. God was physically with them on the same boat, and yet He was awoken and calmed the winds and the sea. The disciples didn’t show much faith in this situation, and yet this is how many of us as humans act to this day. We go through storms and rough seasons in life, forgetting that the Lord is with us every step. Of course that is, if we allow Him to.
If the winds and waves obey the Lord, then doesn’t the Coronavirus as well? Of course it does. So if it’s still a pandemic at this moment, looking the scripture is essentially in reminding ourselves who is really in control. God has a plan and nothing can get in the way of that. What God said would happen, will. If God hasn’t eliminated this coronavirus as of yet, then I trust Him in this. God is all good, and all powerful. God is not allowing this pandemic to continue without a reason, but I do know his word says that his plans are good.
Romans 8:28 says,
'And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.'
I choose to have faith in God, and believe 100% what is being said here. I believe that I serve a God who is all good. A God who is almighty and if He is allowing this pandemic to happen, then He has a plan with it. Let’s think about what this pandemic has caused, or this quarantine rather. It’s caused us to pay more attention to the things that matter such as our health, our loved ones, and placing our hope in God. Too many people unfortunately have been idolizing things in life such as lives of celebrities, their jobs, wealth, and much more. This quarantine has made so much of this irrelevant. If anything the attention has gone more towards the first responders and those on the front lines helping us during these tough times, and less on famous people who many obsess over in regards to what they’re up to. Another thing it’s done is, have us focus more on our health. Health is something we neglect often, and this quarantine has forced us to take better care of ourselves, otherwise we know we may catch this disease if we’re not careful. Last thing it’s made us do, is spend more time with our families. I’m sure there are tons of people who made work an idol. Working long hours and paying more attention to their work and money, than their loved ones. We all come and go, so we need to ask ourselves if we’re doing a good job cultivating the relationships we have with our friends and family. We should be checking up on another and encouraging one another during these tough times.
Too many of us have forgotten what is truly important and I feel this pandemic is also an act of mercy from God. In my person opinion, this pandemic is a sign from God that urges us to repent and turn back to Him.
When this pandemic first started, on social media I saw 2 Chronicles 7: 13-15 being referenced in regards to COVID-19, and this what it says:
“At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.”
You guys, literally in the order they’re listed in the scripture, are the events that have all happened within the same year. There were the droughts and wild fires in Australia, the locust plague in East Africa that some may not even have heard of as of yet, and of course this current coronavirus pandemic. I honestly do not think this is coincidence. I know the God I serve is always speaking and I think this a way of getting His message across, that we need to turn back to Him. This world becomes more corrupt the older I get, and it’s harder now than ever being obedient to God. God is coming back soon, and we need to be sure we’re ready for His return.
Spread the Hope (11:52)
So obviously the intention of this episode is to help give you better perspective of this pandemic, because we need to help spread hope to those who don’t. We now know or possibly reminded, that God is in control over everything and if He has allowed this pandemic to linger, it’s for a good reason. It’s heart breaking to see people panicking and terrified of going out to even buy groceries, because of the fear of getting the virus. The intention is not worry, but possibly allow this to be a wakeup call that the world is not above God. Look at how things took a standstill with just a pandemic. It showed us how little control we actually have in this world, and that’s considering how much we’re advanced over so many years. God is showing us who is truly in control. Even so, let’s be encouraged that God loves us all. God has us here on earth in this time period for a reason. We all have a very important mission here on earth that is the same although carried out in different ways. We are all here to glorify and reflect the character of God here on earth. We are here to use the talents given to us to draw others back to God. God is coming back whether we believe it or not. Now that we know or reminded of the truth, let’s remember what is important. God.
Words of Encouragement (13:14)
As we reach near the end of this podcast, I want to encourage you to use this time wisely! Think about how much free time this quarantine has given you. What have you done with it? Have you grown in your walk with God? How you started leaning a new skill? Have you cultivated in your talents? Have you worked on yourself? I know this time has given me an opportunity to examine myself and reflect on where I’m at with my goals. This extra time I’ve had has allowed me to have more quiet time to think about things. How can I do more to serve others? In what areas do I need to grow in? What do I feel God wants me to work on? This pandemic as crazy as things may have gotten, remember that God uses it for good in the end. Let’s see the positives in the midst of the storm, and allow our faith to grow and become better in the end.
Prayer (14:07)
As always, I want to close this out with prayer because as I’m sure you by now, I believe in the power of prayer. I want to pray with you that we may have peace, in knowing God is almighty and in control.
Dear Father in heaven, Lord we thank you for who you are. We thank you for your almighty power. We thank you because nothing is above you. We thank you because you loved us, before we were even born. We thank you because you give us hope. We thank you because you do not want us to worry, because we can always lean on you. We thank you for offering to carry our burdens for us. Lord you are so amazing. You continually pursue, wanting a relationship with us. Wanting what is best for us. Father forgive us that in the midst of storms and uncertainty, we may stumble in our faith and forget who is truly in control. Who is truly sovereign. Father I ask that you may comfort those who may have lost a loved one during this pandemic. This life here on earth is full of trials and while it’s not easy, you did promise you would be with us always. We thank you Lord and in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Outro (15:21)
So that’s the end of this episode! I hope this episode was able to bring some perspective to what is presently going on, and even future trials you may face in life. At the end of the day there is nothing that takes God by surprise and anything the enemy tries to use for evil, God will take it and turn it for good. Remember He is in control and if this is still going on, He is trying to speak to us through it. Feel free to send this episode to someone who could benefit from it as well, as it’s always great to spread hope especially in times like these. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already done so. The podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and of course my website mynameisangel.com. Subscribing makes it super simple to stay up to date with the episodes the moment they release. As always God bless you and I appreciate you giving me roughly 20 minutes of your time. I value it and I do my best to use that time the best I can. God bless you and stay encouraged! This has been The Message, until next time.
