In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, we learn there is a season to everything and a time for every purpose under heaven. There’s a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to harvest; a time to kill, a time to heal; a time to break down, a time to build up; a time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, a time to gather the stones together; a time to embrace, a time not to embrace; a time to get, a time to lose; a time to keep, a time to throw away; a time to rend, a time to sew; a time to be silent, a time to speak; a time to love, a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
There has never been a more significant time in our lives than right now and this dreadful pandemic of COVID-19. We’ve had wars, pestilences, famines, natural disasters, and every imaginable demonstration of man’s inhumanity to others, but nothing can compare to the isolation of God’s people to one another and to our heavenly Father. We are a people that need each other, despite our inabilities to get along with one another. More than ever before, the African term, ubuntu, has more meaning than any of us could imagine. It means, “I am because we are.” We cannot survive this pandemic without the help of our medical professionals, our scientists, and our overwhelmed government. We must heed the warnings to stay at home, “social distance from one another,” and do our part to counter this rapidly evolving disease. When we pull together to fight our problems, we will always overcome them.
More than the tireless efforts of everyone, all of us need to return to God for His love, grace, and forgiveness. We have access to God through the reading of His Word and our prayers every day; He is always home, never napping or on the phone. He will meet our every need, joyfully and willingly, even though we have not taken care of the world He created for us. He wants to meet our needs because He is good. None of us are perfect; we all make mistakes. God is calling us to help others in powerful ways, some we probably don’t understand. We must put our fears at the foot of the cross and begin to rely on His awesome might to pull our world from the “fires” of COVID-19.
When this conflict is over and peace returns to our world, I hope that we all realize we must learn to love one another and learn to forgive. We must become merciful, kind, humble, meek. We must forgive others as Christ forgave us on the cross. The bond of charity should be what comes from this fight we are in together; it is the bond of perfectness. The peace of God must rule in our hearts, and the word of Christ must dwell in our wisdom, teachings, and spiritual songs. Whatever we do in word or deed must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, our Father.
No matter what happens in the next few months, I know that my Redeemer lives; God will never fail me or you, as long as we have faith the size of a mustard seed in our hearts. The sun will shine on us someday soon!
Anna Hartt
