How should we pray during this Covid-19 pandemic, bearing in mind it may be part of our sovereign Lord's plan?
Covid19 may somehow help many unsaved to come to Christ and therefore be a part of God's plan. Alternately, there may be other positive reasons for its presence that only God alone knows. Therefore, praying against it may not be in His will. How do we pray about this horrid virus?
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Asked April 23 2020
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ainsley chalmers
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Danny Hickman
I hope the people who think that there's some good to come from a pandemic never says so to people who have lost friends and loved ones to this virus. I hope God is never "credited" with the sending of such suffering.
Yes, God is sovereign in all the affairs of life. Nothing happens that God doesn't allow to happen, and nothing is missed by God. That doesn't mean that all that happens is God's "will" to happen the way that it happens.
Yes, God always has a plan.
Was it God's "plan" for mankind to sin and die? He knew man would sin, and He knew that sin would lead to death. But man sinning wasn't His "plan."
Jesus giving his life for sinners was God's "plan" before the foundation of the world (Rev 5:9).
Peter wrote to people who were going through intense persecution and suffering. He comforted them with these words: The Lord doesn't want any of you to perish, but wants all to come to repentance. 2 Pet 3:9
He doesn't say, 'God is allowing you to suffer;' that wouldn't endear them to God. He simply assures them that God will ultimately come to them, so they are to be steadfast in their christian conduct.
Here is God's testimony of Himself:
The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. I come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
The thief is behind the pandemic.
If your son asks for a fish would you give him a snake? Mt 7:10
God doesn't give His children snakes.
Yes, He allows snakes, but Satan inhabits the snake, Jesus doesn't.
ainsley chalmers
There are no simple answers to suffering and death suffice to say it is evidence of a fallen world. God is in control and His ways are above our human thinking. Even in this pandemic tragedy and suffering God can make good come out of it. Though we currently cannot see it, in time maybe we will.
In the natural way of thinking, Christ's death was a huge tragedy but through His suffering He gained for us our eternal salvation, praise God.
Danny Hickman
We ignore scripture and want life to make our kind of sense. There are simple answers to suffering and death. Suffering and death make sense!
Mankind was living in total bliss; was told sin would cause death.
What part of that coming to past is complicated? There's nothing in that deserving of a grand explanation! I think we feel that at some point we've suffered enough, and God should consider doing things our way.
For instance, we want God to rid the world of cancer; especially among children. His way is to be with us when we go through that kind of suffering. We pray for it to be abolished. Who knows, some day he might rid the world of all cancer. But until that happens, we scramble for an answer for why he doesn't do things our way, that will satisfy an unbelieving world, the church attending crowd included!
I believe most of the church feel (not thinks, but feel) that we the church should be exempt from suffering because we've been redeemed. I mean, what good is being born again if you suffer right alongside the unbeliever?
How do we rise above these false "feelings"?
We need to start truly believing scripture. God's word is to be our strength in good times as well as hard times.
God's word doesn't make sense to unbelievers, but also to believers who don't STAND in the word of God.
Jesus suffered for us; believers are to understand that suffering as a believer leads to rejoicing when Jesus' glory is revealed (1 Pet 4:13).
We wait...
Mark Vestal
In weakness we are made strong:
2 Cor 12:5-10
"Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."