The current world health crisis dominates newspapers, television news, radio news, and internet sites. People are on the verge of panic. This is understandable. Nothing like this has happened in our lifetime. We’ve had pandemics and wars and natural disasters, but none quite the same as our current difficulty. So widespread, so many questions, and so few answers.
Churches are closed, hospitals are bursting, and businesses are reeling. What happens next remains to be learned – at least by us. What happens next is already known by God. He didn’t learn about this virus from a news outlet. He is sovereign and all-knowing today just as He was a few months ago. He holds the world in His hands, including COVID-19.
Why God allows such things to happen puzzles us at times. When we don’t understand such things, it’s good to recall what we know to be true about God.
First, God is good and merciful and kind. He has our best interest in mind even amid disaster and severe circumstances.
Second, God is ruling and directing the universe according to His will. Nothing (not even COVID-19) falls outside God’s jurisdiction.
Put these two ideas together. If God was kind but not sovereign, He wouldn’t be able to help us in time of trial. If God was powerful but not kind, He might not show mercy to us in our time of need. Because God is both good and sovereign, we can trust Him through our trials.
Your heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air. (Matthew 6:26)
Your sovereign Lord watching over the lilies of the field. (Matthew 6:28)
Your God knows what you need and will care for you in times of trouble. (Matthew 6:3).
COVID-19 will pass. God remains on His throne. Look to Him each day and trust in Him each minute.