God's Promises in the Midst of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Part 1

Photo by Branimir Balogovic

How often does an event affect the entire world? I think we’ve reached the place where it has become apparent that we are living in history in the making. And, in this post, I want to be as personal and transparent as possible rather than relying on Christianese or one-and-done shots of Bible verses. I believe that we can’t fully embrace the power of the Word of God if we also aren’t willing to feel what we feel and wrestle with the great suffering that we are experiencing as humankind. He is just as much present in the mysteries as He is in the answers. In these uncertain times, I believe that we need to be proactive listeners, willing to validate the feelings that we’re all processing. Having feelings of anxiety or uncertainty is part of being human. God made us with emotions, so He is big enough to handle our emotions even when we are having trouble naming them. And even our emotions serve as an invitation to come to Him to untangle our thoughts and anxieties in exchange for His peace.

In our corner of the world, the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Wednesday, March 11th. Up until that day, everything was pretty much as normal though I was keeping an eye on global news. At that point, most of my Chinese students had been home and quarantined since January. But after the announcement of confirmed cases, things escalated quickly. Panic buying started. Traffic amped up as people flooded places stocking up. We all held our breath as neighboring countries reported their first cases and closed their borders. The president of El Salvador has been especially proactive. He closed the borders for a month before they even had their first case. And he has been using that time to prepare medical facilities and stock up on supplies. We figured that as our neighbors were responding, our government would soon do the same. But we seemed to be a bit behind everyone else. Yet, the borders of Honduras were closed on Sunday night, essentially making our decision for us as to whether we should try to bump up our travel plans or not. From there, overnight, all non-essential businesses in the major cities were shut down. Next, we had a curfew, and no one was allowed to leave their homes unless it was for a specific reason like going to the doctor or buying groceries. The day all of that was announced, the streets were a madhouse as people rushed to buy supplies and food. I ended up driving around to a few different grocery stores, but after seeing the incredibly long lines just to get into the stores, I decided against it and came home. Since a lot of people seemed to be acting like life was going on as normal, police were placed in the streets, and even the pharmacies, grocery stores, etc. were closed. They were re-opened this past Thursday, which resulted in the chaos you’d expect. While there were strict protocols about going in the grocery stores (some sprayed each person down with disinfectant, all of them were ordered to administrate antibacterial gel to each person going in and to take each person’s temperature, and only a few people could go in at once and only had 20 minutes to shop), it seemed to defeat the whole purpose of having ordered people to shelter in place because there were long lines of people in close proximity. And, we are up to 24 confirmed cases, 90 suspected cases, and our lockdown has been extended until March 29.

I have been putting off this blog post because, quite honestly, I’ve been feeling some big feelings and needed some time to process. There are people around all of us who are being affected financially. For the time being, Raúl and I are doing fine. I don’t know how this will affect his business depending on how long this goes, but as of now, we have water and money for rent and food. But, it weighs heavily on my heart the people who are being affected, and we have been keeping our eyes open for ways to be a blessing to others.

I fluctuate between being an information junkie and someone who needs to cry it out because I feel it all. Worshiping during this time has been helpful. Because I tend to exist so in my own head, worship is the space where I can be present in the now and release all the many things that I am carrying. Worship has also been the space where I have been able to receive some perspective and to remind myself of who He is in the midst of such uncertainty.

This past week, Lindsey (my missionary friend and ministry partner) and I have been making worship playlists that we have been sharing every day. In the midst of feeling like life is so out-of-control, there has been something purposeful in aligning ourselves with God’s truth and in seeking His presence. So far, we have seen some themes emerging for this week, and those are weapons that God has given us in both worship and in life:
1) Humility to confess our need for a deliverer.
2) Peace and rest in the midst of crisis.
3) Power in God’s presence and receiving His authority to partner with Him in intercession.
4) The sound of our worship that ushers in the sound of God’s intervention.
5) Security and confidence in who He is.
These are the playlists from this past week.
My Deliverer
Peace
Power in Presence
Sound
Security

We have decided to continue to create playlists and to share them with anyone who is interested. If you’re interested in receiving these playlists, you can send me an e-mail at sarah.crickenberger@gmail.com

Oftentimes, in the midst of world disasters or crises, Christians come out of the woodworks to proclaim that the circumstances are God’s judgment. And, I have felt quite deeply that this message does such a disservice to the Person of God because it is so one dimensional. Is He the only One worthy and capable of being Judge over all? Absolutely. But, His heart toward His creation is one of love. My standard assessment for knowing what God has personally sent is what exists in heaven. Disease and plagues do not exist in heaven, so they don’t align with His heart or His desire for humanity. As James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” I can’t pretend to have the answers as to why bad things are allowed to happen other than knowing that we’re allowed to have free will and that God is the only one who sees all of the history of the world outside of time. Our free will isn’t really free will if we aren’t allowed to experience and learn from the consequences of our actions. Sometimes, He has to give us over to ourselves and what we ourselves have chosen as humanity. As we look back on this event in the years to come, I can’t help but wonder how much of our analysis will focus on how selfishness and pride and flippancy led to unnecessary loss. Whether we like it or not, we are connected across the globe. We don’t exist unto ourselves. What we do or do not do impacts others for better or for worse.

We also don’t know where this pandemic fits into the story of redemption that God has been writing since Creation. In this worldwide pandemic, I think the temptation is to want to have someone to blame, and if I had to guess, I would say that blame will largely be circulating in the aftermath. But, beyond all of this, if circumstances are calling people to their knees and the understanding of their own frailty and vulnerability, that is a by-product of the circumstance itself. We’ve always been frail. We’ve always been in need of Him. We have always had the same call and invitation to depend on God, to be on our knees, and to keep humble in our own vulnerability as humans. And His ear is just as tuned in to those crying out for Him as it’s always been.

I think the bottom line for me is that I don’t believe that He’s angry. He knows more than we do, and He sees more than we do. And, as is the case in all circumstances, there is an invitation. Our suffering as humankind and the damage that we do to one another comes from being disconnected from Him. There is always a call to return to Him in personal, intimate relationship. And that returning is for the benefit of all. Here are some of the promises of God related to who He is even in the face of our global crises:

1 Samuel 10:19 – God saves us out of all of our disasters and calamities.

Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Lamentations 3:32-33 – “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love, for he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.”

Ezekiel 18:32 – “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”

1 John 4:18 – He is perfect love, and His heart is not after fear or punishment.

Hebrews 7:25 – Jesus is able to save us completely, and God loves us so much that He established Jesus to intercede on our behalf.

Acts 17:27-28 – God is not far away from us; “for in him we live and move and have our being”

2 Timothy 4:18 – “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.”

So, let’s start there. Let’s remember who He is and who He has called us to be. Let’s hold every thought captive that would try to fill us with dread and panic.

In this past week, I have tried to be intentional in seeing His goodness and faithfulness in the little things. We are in our dry season here which often leads to humans causing vast forest fires. On Tuesday, the hillside on the side of our house was burning. It was high up on the mountainside, but our house filled with smoke and ash, and I could hear the crackling of the flames. This has happened twice now since I’ve lived in this house. The first time, the fire reached a tree directly in front of our house before they put it out. The second time, our neighbors worked for hours putting the fire out as it got closer and closer to our homes. The firemen showed up when the fire was almost totally contained. One of which walked toward the fire with a lit cigarette in his mouth. On Tuesday, we called the fire fighters, and no one came. To be fair, there is no road access from our house to the mountain above. But, it worried me as it got dark. It was a windy night, and while all of my neighbors seemed ambivalent, I wondered how fast it could spread. The last time the hillside caught on fire, and it got so close to our home that we had to move our car out of danger’s way, I had dreams for weeks after that our house was on fire, and we needed to get out. So, I prayed about it and asked others to pray. I slept perfectly fine. The next morning, I had classes to teach online. So I opened the door around 5:00am and could see that the flames were dying down because it had been drizzling rain for a while. By the time I was done my classes, the fire was totally out. That rain was a miracle. We are not in our rainy season. It’s rare that we receive any rain at all in these months. God is good.

Because it is the hot and dry season, it’s also the season to be killing scorpions in our house. I’ve killed about four so far. The other day, I was putting away some plastic bags in a holder my grandmother made me. I shoved one bag in and was folding another. When I went to shove the next bag in, I caught myself as I saw a scorpion perched exactly where my hand had been previously. Yet, it hadn’t stung me. Now, a scorpion sting isn’t the end of the world. It is painful, and usually the area does swell and go numb. But, that little care that the Lord had over me in protecting me from getting stung mattered. God is faithful even in the details.

Finally, while Raúl and I are very stocked up on groceries and have been able to ensure that we have plenty of drinking water and gas to cook with, our own consideration has been the water that we use to bathe, wash dishes, flush toilets, and wash clothes. Because we are in the dry season, and we depend on tanks to bring us water since there is no public water project where we live, there is always a bit of concern as to whether the tanks are going to be in operation during this extraordinary time and whether they will be willing to bring us enough to fill out tanks. A couple days ago, our neighbors were buying water for their tanks, so Raúl asked the vendor if he had enough water to top off our tanks and cistern, and he did! So, even before it was a need, God fulfilled it. He does provide.

I don’t know what the future holds. I have moments of great peace and faith, and I also have moments where the what ifs seem to be closing in on me. But, I am choosing to worship Him for who He is because in remembering who He is, I find rest for my soul. I find a refuge in the One who is bigger than it all. I find One who showers my heart with compassion for those who are dying, who are losing loved ones, and who are wondering where their next meal is coming from. He calls me out beyond my own worries and fears to intercede for the lives of others. In Him, I find both compassion for the world and the relief that He is the One who holds us.