By: Kitzie Pallas
I usually listen to the news so I was aware of the Coronavirus in China. We had a missionary on sabbatical from Wu Han speak at the church.
It was a few weeks later the virus hit the United States. Reports kept coming out about the shortage of toilet paper. There was no toilet paper to be found. My adult children ask, “Mom, do you have toilet paper?” I said “I have plenty and if I didn’t I have wash cloths.” My having toilet paper was the least of my concerns during this virus. Why were people so concerned about having toilet paper? This virus did not cause diarrhea. It was a respiratory virus.
It is our human nature to want to hang onto something when threatened with a crisis. We want to find something tangible we can hang on to, buy, stock up on. We want security for ourselves and our family, but Toilet Paper?
God must be getting a chuckle out of this. Why would His creation put their faith in toilet paper when we have an Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence God? God wants to be our security in good times and bad times.
God is not chuckling over people getting sick, dying, losing jobs and our world being turned upside down. Just as a parent sheds tears over a prodigal child, God is weeping over His creation. He longs to restore the relationship but He will not force or take away the consequences of our choices. He is a loving, merciful, forgiving God but He will not tolerate sin. He cannot lie and He must be consistent with His character. He cannot have second place in our lives. There can only be One Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The choice is up to us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT Trust in the Lord, with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and He will direct your paths.
There is an old gospel hymn that says: Trust and Obey For There Is No Other Way.
Romans 3:23 NLT: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners, believers, non-believers, and all in between. It is the Easter season. The most Holy Time of the Christian faith. The way of the cross is open to all. Christ has died for all.
Scripture tells us by His stripes we have spiritual healing. If we want this healing we must repent of our sin, believe, be obedient, and be in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
There is another old hymn; Jesus Is Softly and Tenderly Calling O’Sinner Come Home. Maybe Jesus is using a louder voice during a Coronavirus O’sinner come home, in such a times as this.