My lessons from COVID-19 Part 3 – The divine aspect

Where is God in this pandemic? Many will agree that COVID-19 has resulted in a heightened perception of the reality of God today. Two questions come to mind – is God aware or involved? And if he is, what’s the purpose or reason for all of these? The world’s population may have different beliefs or perceptions about God, but the questions are common especially among the monotheistic ones – Jews, Christians, Muslims, who comprises 56%, and also for the others – Hindus and Buddhists, who comprises 20%. Only the 15%, the atheists, may not be thinking about it.

But even those who believe in God, especially from the Abrahamic religions, may not think so seriously about God’s role in this pandemic. Most, if not all of our prayers, center on asking God for both protection and provision during this pandemic. Indeed, supplications to the Almighty have increased manifold since last year as cases and deaths pile up, the number of the latter surpassing the last two numbers of dead in World War I and World War II. We ask God for help to rescue us. But the question remains – did God know beforehand? Did he allow it? Or the most difficult of all – did he ordain it to happen?

The answer to these questions depends on our understanding of the very essence of God and his eternal immutable attributes. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, among other things. There is nothing that he doesn’t know, didn’t, or won’t know. He knows the future, up to the end of time, and the whole of eternity. “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:3). When the COVID-19 emerged into being, God knew about it. The fact that it did means God allowed it to happen. And what he allows is part of his eternal plan and will.

It is important for us who believe in God, and even for those who don’t, to realize God is always an active player in what happens to the world and to each of us, every day and every minute of it! The whole creation, from beginning to end is part of his eternal plan, from the grandiose world events to the minute incident of our own individual lives. Nothing happens randomly, or by chance. God was, is, and will always be in control! He ordains everything in accordance with his will.

The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” It would do us well to understand who God is and where he is in this pandemic. It is only by knowing how great a God we have that we can fully place our trust in him. If we know God and believe in him, we can face this life’s episode with trust and confidence.

As to the second question … (To be continued)