What this nation REALLY needs right
now
… In fact,
it may be even more to the point to phrase it this way: what the WORLD really needs
right now. But let’s just limit it to
the USA for the moment.
We, as a
nation, seem to be between a rock and a hard place. Make too little of COVID-19 and vulnerable
people will die. Make too much of it,
and the national economy will die. It’s almost
as though the United States is under the judgement of God. Scoffers will dismiss that idea as the
superstition of backward mindless zealots. The Governor of New York said as
much recently. Some others, who are willing to admit that there is a creator
God, will be offended by the mere thought that such a supreme being might bring
discomfort to those who he loves so much; you know, those for whom he has a
wonderful plan for their life …
The Old
Testament scriptures are filled with the record of God’s people falling away
and undergoing his judgment to bring them to a place of repentance. Though those judgements which were meted out
by God upon heathens may come to mind first, they are relatively few in number
compared to those his chosen people of Israel brought upon themselves. The seven plagues that were unleashed upon
Egypt in the days of Moses make the Corona virus look like a mild headache in
comparison. The destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah via fire and brimstone was decisive and fatal, and unlike what we see
in our present situation, left no doubt that it was God’s judgement. The worldwide flood that destroyed all of
mankind except for one family will only be outdone by a fiery one that is yet to
come.
But the
nature of God’s judgement is not always so dramatic. When asked about a tower that had fallen on eighteen
people, Jesus did not call it an unfortunate accident or even speak specifically
to the sinfulness of those who perished.
Instead he said “think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:4-5)
Repentance! That’s a word we don’t see much anymore other
than the occasional cartoon figure of a robed, long bearded man holding a sign
with the message, “Repent, the End is Near!” Now, whether the end be near is
not within the scope of the message I have for you today. But repentance is.
That
COVID-19 is a judgment from God upon our nation (or make that ‘upon the world”
if you want to go with the big picture) is not my point. My point is that COVID-19 AND the
impending economic collapse together ARE a judgement of God, though at the
point in time in which I write this, we might more accurately refer to it as “a
call to repentance” rather than an actual judgement. Yes, I do believe that our present crisis is
far too mild, both in terms of deaths and the amount of economic hardship, to
properly call it judgement. When
Almighty God does bring judgement upon a land, it is likely to be described
with phrases such as “not one stone left standing upon another” when speaking of
buildings and “in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness and in want of all things” to
describe the inhabitants.
No, we are
not to the point of God’s full wrath yet.
But we should ask ourselves, why not?
We allow the murder of babies while still in the womb, recently going the
extreme of sanctioning that murder on the day of their birth. It has become fashionable to celebrate every
vile thing that God calls an abomination. Sex outside of marriage, and marriage
outside of nature. Men burning in their lust toward men and women doing likewise. They might say that “love is love” and “abortion
is healthcare”, but the word of God which does not pass away still warns, “woe
unto them that call evil good, and good evil”. (Isaiah 5:20)
How long
will our nation continue to laugh at the idea that there is a God while
secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) cursing him under our breath? How long will the majestic, infinite,
eternal, Holy Creator of all things allow us to continue in such vain
rebellion? I suspect it will be until
repentance or destruction comes about.
He IS a patient and merciful God, but do not test his patience in
order to satisfy the lusts of your flesh, forgetting that you are really only storing
up for yourself more
wrath for
the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:5)
Now, if
Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and friend (for if you are not his
servant, his disciple and his friend, he is not your Savior either), then
neither plague or famine should terrify you. If King Jesus sits on the throne
of your heart, don’t let COVID-19 make you anxious. Say along with the apostle
Paul: “to live is Christ and to die is gain!” (Philippians 1:21)
Christian
friend, do not hold on to earthly possessions so tightly that you are driven to
despair at the thought of losing them. Rather, again with the apostle respond:
“In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing
plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who
strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
But, on the
other hand, if you cannot honestly claim the name of Christian (and may God
grant that you be not deceived in that matter) then those words of comfort are not
for you. Whether you reject this present
“shamdemic”, because you are young and healthy or because you believe the
“cure” to be worse than the disease, then I urge you to shelter in place. Don’t take any risk of contracting what may
be a deadly disease! And that goes for not only COVID-19, but every other kind
of flu, infection, or accident. Without Jesus, the lake of fire is waiting for you!
Stay at home, hide under a table and seek the Lord, for without him you are
facing an eternity where the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:48)
If you are
an atheist or agnostic, Jewish, Muslim, or Buddhist who is already staying at
home as much as is humanly possible, in a state of mild panic that you may be
stricken by this deadly disease, then stay there! Take cover (under a table in
an inner room might be best since its almost tornado season) and remain there
cowering from a very dangerous world that can kill you in uncounted ways. Stay there until you have repented of your
sins and finally have peace with God.
What does
this nation really need right now? The
same thing the whole world needs right now: to come to the place of repentance
toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!
***************
If you agree that this a message that America needs to hear right now, please feel free to share it with others either by copy and paste or sending a link.