The world right now, is at a complete standstill, amidst this coronavirus pandemic. Roughly 100 million Americans are under stay at home orders, issued by their state governments, all while the entire country has been urged to self isolate by request of our leaders in Washington. Some people have been able to successfully cope with this worldwide crisis, as many have still been able to go to work, and continue to get weekly paychecks.

However, many other Americans, as well as people throughout the world, are already experiencing the devastating effects of this pandemic; much of which will be long term. Small businesses have been forced to close their doors, without the guarantee that they will ever be re-opened again. Everyday workers, from restaurant employees, to theme park associates, are either getting their hours cut, or losing their jobs altogether. Also, for the first time, we are seeing thousands of churches around the country shut down their Sunday services, and weekly office hours, in order to abide by the regulations being issued by state leaders.

What makes matters worse, is that just two months ago, none of us were really prepared for any of this. The coronavirus pandemic came suddenly- and within a matter of days, the entire world has completely shut down, leaving most of us in a state of anxiety, and uncertainty.

My message within this blog post, is meant for any believer, who has been heavily affected by this pandemic in a severe way. I am writing to those of you who have lost your job, as a result of this crisis, or have had your hours cut significantly. I am writing to those of you who are in a state of anxiety, over whether or not you will be able to sustain your retirement benefits, due to the coming economic effects of all this. I am writing to any person who has been tested positive for the coronavirus, or has a family member or loved one that has gotten ill with COVID-19. I am writing to anyone else who has been or will be heavily affected by this fiery trial that has hit the world like a storm. With all of that in mind, I would also like to add, that this blog post can be for any Christian who is currently, or one day will be experiencing a severe trial in their life- no matter what the case may be.

There are two things that believers who have been heavily affected by this coronavirus pandemic, need to understand. The first thing, is that God will sometimes allow sudden, difficult, and overwhelming situations to hit us like a storm; as the Scriptures affirm that tribulations are all part of the Christian walk. This is a fact that we Christians sometimes need to be reminded of; when going through a difficult season in life.

Jesus Himself, told His followers, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (Jn. 16:33). The Apostle Peter told the Christians he wrote to, “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Pet. 4:12).

Concerning the trial of persecution, Jesus also explained to His disciples, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (Jn. 15:20).

There are many examples in the New Testament, of strong godly Christians, who experienced immense pain; some of which was more severe than any suffering that most of us will ever face in our lifetime. Acts chapter 7, documents the account of Stephen, who was stoned to death after preaching to the religious leaders. Later on in the book of Acts, we read of Paul the Apostle who went through a shipwreck, was beaten, and imprisoned multiple times. All of these things happened as a result of Paul being obedient to the calling that God had placed upon his life. Going backwards into the Old Testament, we get many examples of biblical patriarchs who went through lots of pain, and difficulty, during their walk with the Lord. Perhaps the best example of this was the godly man Job, whom God allowed to experience the worst pain imaginable, as he lost all of his children, and possessions, while also being struck with a dreadful illness.

Needless to say, a thorough study of the Bible shows us that godly people should fully expect painful situations to come in life, as even our Lord and Savior told us that this is all part of being a true follower of His. So that is the first thing, which Christians who have been heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, should fully grasp. However, God never allows us to go through an immense difficulty, and then simply leave it at that. There is always a plan, and a purpose, for why He has allowed us to go through a fiery trial. The Scriptures tell us that, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

And that is where we come to the second thing which believers who are facing difficulty in this crisis, need to fully grasp; in order to make it through. The second thing, is that God will often times allow us to experience a difficult season in life, in order to draw us closer to Him. Me saying, “often times”, is not merely my opinion. The Scriptures indicate this to be a fact. The very first thing that James writes to his readers in chapter 1 of his epistle is, “My Brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (Jm. 1:2-4). Here we are told that God will use the difficult seasons in life to build us up, and refine us, to strengthen our walk with Him.

We need to always keep in mind, that God is operating from an eternal perspective. He knows that our time on earth, is only a blink of an eye, compared to the time that we will be with Him in eternity. He also knows that the actions and behavior that we demonstrate here on earth, will have a great effect on our place within eternity. This could then go into the subject of heavenly gifts, and different positions in Heaven, which I will not go into right now— I think you get the point. The point is that God wants us to live a godly life in Him, so that we are well prepared for the place He has for us in eternity. Thus, often times He allows us to face trials, in order to prepare us for our eternal future.

Those of us who are Christian, yet are not putting our relationship with Him first in life, could perhaps see this crisis as God’s wake up call for us to get right with Him. Many of us are currently being required to stay home, as a result of lockdowns that have been ordered over cities, states, and even certain countries. It is safe to say, that many of us have a lot more time on our hands now than ever before. Perhaps, God wants us to utilize this time for Him.

When was the last time that you read through an entire book of the Bible? Have you ever read the entire Bible from cover to cover? When was the last time you even opened up your Bible at all, to read it? When was the last time that you had quiet time with the Lord in prayer? These are questions that I believe many Christians should be asking themselves during this time, especially those who have been severely effected by this trial. If you have been heavily hurt by this challenging time- do not see this as God punishing you, but rather see it as His way of getting your attention. Perhaps, now would be a good time to reprioritize certain things in your life; including, and especially, your relationship with God.

For the Christians who absolutely have been putting God first in their lives, yet have been experiencing trial because of this worldwide pandemic, I would encourage you to reflect on the story of Job. God allowed Job to be attacked heavily by Satan, not for the sake of punishing Job, for Job was a righteous man before God; but rather the Lord used the fiery trial that came upon Job, to test Job’s faithfulness to Him. Sometimes God will allow us to experience challenging situations in life, in order to test whether or not our faith in Him is true, and sincere. Job was in great pain, and had many questions as to why God was allowing him to suffer, but in all these things, Job never once cursed God, or turned his heart away from the Lord. Thus, we see that Job truly loved the Lord with all of his heart, as he was faithful to God in both seasons of blessing, and seasons of difficulty.

So while many of us are currently experiencing challenging and uncertain times, let us not lose hope, or strength. God can actually use this difficult time, to strengthen our faith, and trust in Him. I would encourage you to be practical in regards to how you can utilize this time to build upon your relationship with the Lord. Read your Bible, pray without ceasing, and remember that everything we do on this earth, is preparation for the eternal life that is to come.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10