Our Furnace In our Time of Testing

As we are inundated with empty spaces, streets, and an over-abundance of news feeds on COVID 19, we who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven should be mindful of how we act. Don’t join the panic but call on God. As we may recall, His complaint with the Israelites of old was not so much that they sinned, because he said repeatedly that he swept their sins away, even as far as the east is from the west. His complaint centered on the fact that His people looked to other gods and not to him. On several occasions when Israel was in trouble they sought other kings to form alliances and called on others to help them in their time of need. Several times God sent word to the leader of His people during the times they formed alliances to ask if it was because there is no God in Israel that they would send to strangers instead of calling on Him.

I’m not saying don’t follow the precautions the experts are putting into place. They are sound advice for everyone of us to follow. Wash your hands thoroughly, cover your coughs, isolate if you exhibit flu-like symptoms or shortness of breath; all the advice is good and sound. But Christ said his disciples ought to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Follow the advice to keep yourself and others safe, but call on God to help us in this hour of need. As in the book of Daniel with Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo we ought to trust that God will do exactly as He said he would do if we would believe and send the Son of Man to walk with us in our furnace. In this case, to help us navigate the ravaging effects of this novelty virus grinding lives to a halt. May we all find the faith it takes to walk like the ancestors in our furnace today so that we may learn patience and perseverance in Christ.

Stay safe and blessed.