Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.

Psalm 48:9

How the world can change in just a few days!

As I write this, the whole world is uniting in a fight against a common enemy — the COVID-19 virus. Anxiety and information swirl around, and questions. Like, What will happen to us all? To the world? Where is God in all this?

He is right where he was a few days ago, Beloved, within His temple.
And His unfailing love is, still, unfailing.
And He is still on His throne.

I am not being glib. I am not ignoring science or facts. Now, more than ever, facts have my attention and my respect. But greater than all is our God, who chose you and me to be His dwelling place on earth. So if you are hunkered down these days, you have the best refuge of all.

The greatest antidote to fear — which seems to be the more widespread danger to every soul right now than a virus — is sheltering in place. For you, that means sheltering in the love and faithfulness of your God.

We all feel our vulnerability, we all want to find the place of safety. And more: we want comfort in that place, a buffer against the unknown.

Like many, hubby and me are hunkered down at home. Other than necessary shopping and the occasional foray to support the take-out window of a local restaurant, we believe in the wisdom of social distancing under the Lord’s guidance. But we’re not fearful; we feel quite at peace, other than the urgency to pray for our neighbors, our city, our leaders and the world.

The meaning of coronavirus

Being a writer, words matter. I wanted to know where the name coronavirus came from. Here’s what I learned from an article recently posted online by by news reporter Jordan Smith:

“As is often the case in the scientific world, coronavirus’ name is Latin. In the ancient language, corona means crown. According to Queensland Health, virions give off the appearance of a crown when the virus is examined with an electron microscope.

As for the new disease caused by the coronavirus, it was originally called novel coronavirus. In February, the World Health Organization gave us the name COVID-19. The CO stands for corona. VI is for virus. And D means disease. The 19 is for 2019, the year the disease first appeared in China.”

Jordan Smith, March 6, 2020, KTVU TV in San Francisco

There it is. Under a microscope, this virus resembles the shape of a crown.

As Christians, when we encounter a crown, we naturally think of our God and King, Jesus.

Does this mean God is judging the world?

This does not mean that coronavirus bears God’s signature of approval, or that God sent it as a judgment on the world. The Spirit in me isn’t pointing to judgment, but to compassion, to revealing the Father’s heart to the world He so longs to love on. I don’t presume to speak for God here.

I will point out that if and when God does judge the world, I take great comfort in the fact that the last time He did something like that, He arranged for an Ark to be built, on which he put every righteous living soul and carried them through the judgment to total safety! It was a very small crowd indeed, but that’s beside the point.

The point is this: today, if you are in Christ, you have been marked with the righteousness of Christ in God’s sight, and He knows how to keep you safe while judging the world.

How should Christians respond?

With compassion. With obedience to the authorities. With a spirit of generosity and humility. Your job in any case is to pray for the world, for those who are sick, those who are sacrificially caring for them, and those also suffering from the pandemic of fear and financial uncertainty.

Ask the Spirit how to pray each day, and declare with Him the salvation and power of Jesus Christ over every assignment of the enemy. I will also be praying that those unsaved souls who do believe this is a judgment from God, will seek Christ and His salvation.

The only crown that matters

Our Lord is King and Lord over all things. His crown is the only one that matters, and to me it means one thing: that He is Lord over that virus. A dangerous virus is loose in the world, but with it is the reminder of our King, who is our crowning glory! It reminds us that Christ our King offers perfect and total salvation: new birth, healing, and resurrection life.

Anything that reminds me of my God the King serves one purpose: to remind me to worship Him.

Worship God, live wisely and thoughtfully of your neighbors in these days. Wash your hands of germs and, if the shoe fits, ask the Lord to reveal and cleanse your heart of anything that might be defiling it too.

Then return to your rest in the Lord, beloved. That’s where you belong.