Having Grounded Faith in God during Coronavirus

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13 NKJV)

As a total introvert, I must confess that I have relished the recent lockdown to a fault. The sounds of, “Where are we going today?”, “What are the plans for the weekend?”, “What restaurant are we eating at?”, “What should I wear to such and such place?” and, “Who is playing what game when,” have all become non-existent, and I am cherishing every second of it. Honestly, I am a little worried that when this reprieve ends, it will be like the jolt of a fun roller coaster ride that comes to a sudden halt.

But unfortunately, what has been a pleasant stretch for me, has been an unwelcome and difficult spell for many. Some, deemed non-essential have lost their income, some have lived in fear of losing their lives, some have battled depression and anxiety, and some, like my widowed Dad who lives far away from us, and alone, have not experienced human proximity in months. 

Joyce Meyer, the renowned Bible teacher, once said that instead of questioning, “When God, when?”, “Why God, why?”, and “How God, how?” we must simply trust Him. Those questions, no doubt, inevitably lurk in the back of all of our minds. We wonder when God will get rid of this pandemic. And how He plans to do it, and if He doesn’t do it soon enough, why He would allow an invisible enemy to taunt our lives for so long.

Certainly, it is in times like this that our faith is truly tested.

What is faith in God anyway? Is it the ability to move mountains? Is it the capability to curse something and see it wither right away? Is it to speak something into existence and see it appear in an instant? While all those things certainly prove the power of God, faith is also simply trusting God when the circumstances don’t look right.

Hebrews 11:6 states,

“For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (NKJV)

Though we don’t know when we will be rewarded or in what fashion we will be rewarded, we must believe that He is a rewarder, and there is a reward for those who seek Him. This is the hope that we who are people of faith, must echo. We believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord even when we do not know when that will be. We exemplify our faith in God through our perseverance, demonstrating that He is worthy of our trust.

Recently, my daughter wanted us to help her hang up décor in her room. Her Dad and I said we couldn’t do it that weekend. She was a little disappointed, but imagine her surprise when she found out the reason we did not put up the décor that weekend was because we had purchased an entire set of new décor for her birthday, which was a few days later. Often, God does the same with us. He has something better in mind that we know nothing of. If we will patiently trust Him, He has promised that we will see His goodness.

Copyright © June 2020 Jane Samuel, used with permission.