Lord, have mercy on me, for I am weak; Get me out, Lord, because my bones are in agony. My heart is very distressed; Sir, when are you coming and restoring me?(Psalm 6: 2. 3)
The Anglican scholar N. T. Wright published an article last week on the TIME magazine website titled “Christianity Does Not Explain the Coronavirus”. I shouldn’t either. Wright says we should hesitate to offer quick and easy explanations of God’s purposes in this pandemic. He claims that Christian rationalists want an explanation, while romantic Christians “want a sigh of relief. “Neither can be found in Christianity, says Wright, who leaves us alone with the Christian tradition of bereavement in times of trouble. He cites Psalm 6. 2 as an example: “Mercy, Lord, for I faint!Heal me, Lord, because my bones tremble?
- Wright is right to warn Christians about specific claims about the coronavirus that go beyond the clear teaching of the scriptures.
- And he is certainly right that we are sorry.
- Yet is it really true that the Christian faith has no answers about the coronavirus?The reality is that the Word of God offers a vital message.
- Which includes answers to the most important questions.
Let me suggest two
First, the coronavirus pandemic sent a message that this world is and will never be the paradise that lay men and women wanted it to be, and despite all our technological and economic development advances, the world remains cursed by a scourge that has its origin in sin. When Adam committed the first sin, God said, “Will the earth be cursed for your sake?”(Genesis 3:17). So a clear message from coronavirus is that sin is a more serious problem than most people think. Does the pandemic require us to be freed from the final scouring of sin?Death and judgment to appeal to the forgiveness offered by Jesus by the blood of his The response to the coronavirus message is Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the whole curse of sin.
Second, the coronavirus pandemic is an invitation for all to address God in prayer and faith. Christians join our neighbors in the hope that our social detachment measures will significantly reduce the pandemic, and we are grateful to those who heroically seek to cure the disease. However, the coronavirus has left us with the message that our own efforts are not enough to save us from terrible suffering; However, the pitiful psalms of the Bible remain prayers of faith. Using Psalm 6, Wright quotes him to deny that there is a Christian response to the pandemic, but the verse immediately after lament looks in faith at a God who answers the prayer: “Turn, Lord, and deliver me!Save me for your unwavering love?” (Salt 6,4).
Did the coronavirus give us a message? Yes, the virus reminded us that we must pray to God in faith. And prayer meets the needs of those who have trembling hands and weeping faces, when offered in the name of Jesus, our Savior:?The Lord heard my call; Does the Lord accept my prayer?(Salt 6,9).