Fighting for Faith in a COVID-19 Age

(This article was first published in French at TPSG).

What is faith? Some believe it’s little more than positive thinking. Others believe that faith requires an object, but that said object’s precise nature matters little. I was once told I could worship an avocado, as long as I was sincere! How hollow such ideas ring now as we stand on the edge of a terrifying precipice named COVID-19.

My family and I lived in West Africa during the Ebola crisis. My husband was head of security for our mission. We received special training in crisis management, which was both good and wise. But at the end of the day, we entrusted ourselves into the Lord’s hands and chose to live by faith.

For the Christian, the question of faith was settled at the cross. The moment we put our trust in Christ’s finished work and repented from sin, we were transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his beloved Son (Co 1.13). That transaction was punctiliar, permanent, and initiated by God (2 Ti 2.25, Ac 11.18). We can be confident, therefore, that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord (Ro 8.39).

But if we’re honest, at times our faith wavers. Seldom has that been truer than as we face the Coronavirus. We can easily relate to the father of a demon-possessed boy who confessed to Jesus in Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

Each new headline brings a fresh wave of anxiety for many of us. If we don’t fear for our own lives, we fear for our aged or immunocompromised family and friends. And we fear especially for our loved ones who have no hope beyond this life.

In those moments, the fight for faith is real. Yes, saving faith was granted to us once and for all at regeneration. But, practically speaking, faith is a daily fight (1 Ti 6.12). We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling, not in our own strength, but in God’s, who is at work in us to will and to do his good pleasure (Ph 2.13).

In other words, our union with Christ was sealed by the Spirit at conversion. But our communion with Christ is a daily, hourly, moment by moment struggle. And, praise God, because we are in Christ, we are not in this alone.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (He 4.14-16)

We have unlimited, direct access to the throne room of the King of heaven! Let us avail ourselves of this precious privilege! We have a high priest who understands us. Isn’t that wonderful news? He faced life-threatening situations just like we do. From his earliest days, evil forces sought his ruin. When Herod gave orders to kill the Boy Jesus (Mt 2.16), his parents didn’t hang around Bethlehem praying for a miracle. They fled to Egypt and stayed there until the death of Herod, because God told them to. They took the necessary steps to preserve life.

Similarly, during his earthly ministry, Jesus escaped from the grip of his enemies on numerous occasions because his time had not yet come (Jn 7.30, 8.59, 10.39). He was not motivated by fear, but by wisdom. Knowing, therefore, that Jesus took precautions to preserve his life, let us confidently take every step necessary to ensure the safety of our loved ones. Yet even as we do so, let us remember our Saviour’s simple admonition:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6.25-27)

To ward off thoughts that fuel our fears, here are helpful words from the apostle Paul:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is ``pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4.8)

Let this be the criterion by which we filter every thought that passes through our minds. If reading the latest news updates feeds our fears, feed our faith instead by reading Scripture. Let these words of the psalmist be a guide:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Ps 103.1-5)

Rather than letting the world fill our souls with panic, let’s choose to fill our souls with praise. Let’s tell our souls what we need, what we must do, to survive and even thrive during this pandemic.