By Alexander Redd

When we see people stream to supermarkets and other stores to stock up on anything they can find, we are reminded of two things: brevity of life and brewing fear and anxiety. In hindsight, many thought of COVID-19 outbreak would be only a Chinese problem. As death toll globally grew, a palpable sense of fear and anxiety urged us to practice self-distancing and other safety measures. This viral disease is a reminder that physical death is inevitable.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, the pandemic possibly makes death more immediate. Daunting as this virus situation seems to be, it is unfortunate that exceedingly large number of people will die. Nevertheless, we are assured of God’s Word and His character as the anchor upon which we can place our hope for guidance and protection. 

The present health crisis should not surprise us. King Solomon of the Bible says, there’s nothing new under the sun. Of course, history tells us that many viral diseases have afflicted mankind and caused a higher death rate than the current COVID-19. Among other things, we often forget to note that we face death threats around us every day: car accident, cancer, heart disease and failure, war and more – these are daily threats to our livelihood we cannot ignore. While we may see COVID-19 as an immediate death threat, let us not overlook the fact that this viral disease did not introduce death into this world. 

The origin of death began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed and forfeited their relationship with our sovereign God. As a consequence of the fall, mankind continue to endure the experience of plagues, suffering, and even death. Just as the current pandemic death toll rises, we, too, will die – because we are not immortal. Moreover, the fall has destined us to taste death even before COVID-19 surfaced. 

So then, should we be hopeless during this current health crisis? No! Now is the time we recognize that we need urgent help beyond ourselves. Although the virus is apparently deadly, we  should never fear it, for it had come for a purpose and shall pass in due time. This pandemic can be used of God to renew our faith and call many people to salvation through faith in Christ. We may not fully understand the uniqueness of this dangerous virus, but the time is ripe to recognize God for who He is and to trust His word. God, the sovereign Creator of the universe and all therein, is in control. He is aware of everything. 

We may say that we fear and trust God in life circumstances, but our obedience is the key to demonstrate our fear or reverence of Him. There will be a time that we will stand before His judgment seat to give an account of what we did in this providential life. That is why Jesus reminded us to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). To fear God is to recognize who He is and take Him at His word. He promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Our Lord has given us certain number of time on the stage of this life, and now is the time to firmly walk by faith, for he is working all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).  

Alexander Redd is a servant of Christ and host of the Gracious Hope Fellowship TV program every Saturday @ 3pm CST & 8pm Liberian time at http://www.facebook.com/kmtv.live. He can be reached at alredd23@gmail.com