Faith Trumps Fear

Are you tired of receiving emails with the subject line of “Our Response to COVID-19”?  I am!  I feel like my inbox has been inundated with the same subject emails from every coperation, retailer, and business I’ve shopped with.  It’s gotten rather annoying to say the least.  However, it reveals the fact that this virus is on everyone’s minds.  And how could it not, since major decisions that affect our everyday lives have been made in light of the current pandemic. 

​I’m a California resident, and we’ve been on lock down—I mean shelter in place—for a week now, with our governor talking that this could extend for another two to three months!  These massive decisions are affecting life as we know it and wreaking havoc with our economy.  While these laws were put in place to protect us from a virus that is spreading quickly, many of them were generated out of fear.  Fear of death.  Fear of wide-spread health care shortages.  Fear of contamination. 
 
Our world is terrified of COVID-19.  But really, it’s not the virus that they are afraid of, it’s death.  Death is the ultimate enemy of an unbelieving, atheistic world.  For them, death signifies the end of all things.  It’s an element of our world that many try to ignore and forget.  However, COVID-19 has brought this topic to the forefront of everyone’s mind. 
 
As human beings, we could die quite easily.  In fact, we are at higher risk of dying in a car accident than from this virus.  However, people don’t stop to consider that.  They’d rather forget about that element of danger because driving a car is a necessary part of everyday life.  But now, we have COVID-19 that threatens life and health, and everyone is terrified. 
 
Therefore, because of that fear, we have history making times.  We have social distancing.  We have toilet paper shortages and food rationing at certain times as people panic shop.  We have unprecedented times, not because a global pandemic or thousands of people dying is new, but because our response as a nation and as a world has never happened before.  Our world is so interconnected.  Decisions made in one country affect others, and our world leaders feed off of each others’ fears.  But are decisions based on fear the best ones?
 
No.  In fact, most decisions made from a place of fear and based on man’s wisdom are made hastily and can lead to death.  But decisions made from faith in God bring life.  While the concerns of our government are legitimate considering how fast this virus has swept the globe, as Christians we know that we must not operate our lives based on fear but on faith. 
 
We honor and submit to our authority.  We understand where they are coming from.  But we don’t allow their fear to become our fear.  We keep our faith firmly rooted in the Lord and His faithfulness.  Don’t join our culture in running in fear from this virus and ultimately death, but stand firm and let faith trump fear.  Because we have no fear in death, for Christ has conquered it.
 
During these uncertain times, let us remember that God holds the future and knows the beginning from the end.  COVID-19 did not take God by surprise.  In fact, He is working in and through this pandemic to bring people into the Kingdom and bring Him glory.  It is exciting to see what God is doing around the globe as the church shines brightly during a time of incredible darkness and fear. 
 
So let’s not succumb to fear but stand fast in faith, shining light and sharing hope with everyone we come in contact with virtually online or waiting at the grocery store.  And let’s take hold of the promises of God—that no matter the circumstance, we are commanded not to fear, for God is with us.  Faith trumps fear in God’s Kingdom, so let’s ground ourselves in faith and confidence in our God who’s the same yesterday, today, and forever.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
~Isaiah 43:1b-3b