Dear BPCWA worshipper, Despite man’s best efforts, the novel coronavirus continues to find its way in, disrupting the lives and livelihood of men everywhere. Man cannot control it, nor overcome it. Some of man’s businesses, big and small, have been adversely affected by it. When there is a lockdown, companies too have to comply to do their bit to prevent it from spreading. At best, man can only try to mitigate its effects. We saw last week how this pandemic highlights man’s frailty and helplessness. Does that mean that things are hopelessly out of control?  With COVID-19 raging in the world around us, Christians must have a Biblical view of man, and most importantly, the right view of God as revealed in His Word. Having the right perspective of God will enable the Christian to respond rightly.

God is not surprised by COVID-19. 1) He foreknew it.  With the eternal knowledge of God, it must give us much assurance to know that while it has caught man by surprise, the coronavirus has not surprised God. Immediately following the very reassuring promise “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”, God immediately reminds believers that all things can work for good because “whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate” (Ro 8:28,29). When there was a COVID lockdown last year, I preached from Rom 8:28 on the Christian’s assurance through this crisis. God can unfailingly say that all things – including what happens in the future – work for good because He already knows all things from the beginning to the end. Hence, because of God’s foreknowledge, “before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isa 42:9), we can know that they work for good. 2) COVID-19 is not new to God. Man may call it “novel” ie “of a new and unusual kind; different from anything seen or known before”. But the Bible tells us that “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” (Act 15:18). This foreknowledge is not just prior knowledge obtained before it happened. Even before the world was created, the Almighty God already knew that there would be a time in the world’s existence, specifically in December 2019, that this particular virus would begin to spread around the world.  This must calm the believer. It is our assurance that God is not taken aback by surprise and hence the future is uncertain for us. The final outcome and what the world will be like is also already known by God. We are not left to an unknown and random fate outside God’s plans. Unlike us at this time reading of daily developments, God is not trying to catch up with what is happening, but He has already foreknown and foreordained all things under His immutable decrees. And He is your God and your Heavenly Father who cares for you in every minute detail. What assurance!

God has full knowledge of the virus. At the start of the outbreak, experts struggled to find out more about the virus that was causing this. Diagrams of the familiar spiky-looking virus began to emerge. With further examination and experience, the symptoms of the disease began to be documented. Elsewhere, many relied on these symptoms, videos, and interviews to check if they had succumbed to the virus. It was initially thought that one was not infectious if symptoms were absent. But today, it is feared that asymptomatic patients have led to it a silent spread to others, even though they may not even be aware of it. Recent serological tests reveal some who, unknown to themselves, were at some point in the past infected by the virus. The exact origin of the virus remains man’s best guess. In time, the virus began to mutate into different strains. Vaccinations that were accelerated to combat the initial virus were to be less effective in preventing infections caused by the new strains. Booster shots are now promised next year to immunise against certain – but yet not all – strains. Genome sequencing is required to determine which variant the patient has. At best, medical experts and scientists can only rely on study, research, and testing to know who actually was sick, more about the virus, and how to treat it. Some of those who were vaccinated could still be infected.  With all this nebulousness, it is easy to be fearful. But amidst all these challenges, Christians can have the assurance of knowing that “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Ps 147:5). While man is struggling just to simply have a better understanding of the virus so that we can know how to fight against it, God’s knowledge infinitely surpasses that of all medical experts combined together. “Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.” (Job 21:22)  While man fears the asymptomatic spreader, yet it is not unknown to the eye of Christ who, though His disciples around Him knew not, knew even when the woman with the issue of blood “came behind him, and touched the border of his garment”. Nothing misses His eye. Nothing happens without His knowledge of every detail. Men often only find out that they have COVID when they return positive tests. Without the need for any testing which genome every infected person has, God knows who is infected and whom it will spread to. The Christian must not live with trepidation and panic as if God has no idea what the virus is and hence when it does infect any of us, cannot control it, even if He wanted to.

God remains in sovereign control.  The fact that you have life is because God has sustained you. It is up to Him while you perform your human responsibilities to take precautions. The challenge before man is that we are fighting against a virus that is invisible to man’s eye. While we faintly struggle against its ravaging effects, Christians must realise that God is still on the throne. 1) God is in control of every man’s life. Whether we are in sickness or in health, we know that “in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Ac 17:28). The fact that we still have breath and life to live now is because He has sustained our lives. And not just our lives, but the lives of the billions all around the world who may be fearful of catching the dreaded disease. God could at any time stop the plagues that fell upon Egypt before the exodus of the children of Israel. He could precisely allow plagues to only infect the Egyptians and their livestock but yet not touch His people. Today, God can, if He so chooses, immediately cause the viruses globally to be rendered harmless. And if it was His purpose to so do, He could cause it all to disappear at the same time, globally. The fact that many die cannot be attributed to the power of a virus that is beyond the control of God. It is simply because God has withdrawn that breath of life that He gives and sustains in every man. “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” (Ps 104:29). Where the outbreaks are and occur are not beyond His control. God is not a localised God that can only control things in Australasia. Every continent is under the reign of the omnipotent King. Isa 46:10-11 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” The fact that you have life is because God has sustained you. Use your life to serve Him and make every day of your life count spiritually for Him! 2) He determines the government’s actions to control it. God still remains very much in control of the government of the whole world before the pandemic, today, and will always do so in the future. Christians in Western Australia must not miss the particular privilege that we have in being spared much of the pain that has enveloped much of the world. God commands us to pray for “all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1Tim 2:2). We never thought that the quiet and peaceable life would one day include the measures that the government would take to keep the virus at bay. Therefore, we must acknowledge His good Hand upon us, and give thanks to Him for His protection. And we cannot be presumptuous that what has been will always be. We know how things can change so quickly, and we must continue to bring this petition before His throne of grace – according to His will.

God allows all things for a purpose as part of His plan. Having studied the theology about God’s decrees, it helps us to submit to the fact that everything that happens – COVID included – is part of His decrees that He has allowed. The fact that it continues unabated and even at times seems to be escalating has a spiritual purpose. “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” (Ps 115:3) His purposes are always perfect and good. And just as a child trusts his earthly father that his plans are wise and good, how much more that knowledge should give peace to our souls. That is why we can have a peace that the world without God can never give nor have. Children of God, “let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn 14:27). We trust in man’s “contingency plans”. Let us trust God’s plans, that needs no contingency plans because He knows everything from the beginning to the end! 

God’s special care upon His children. Yes, even during times such as these, God’s interest and care remains unchanging and unabated. His promises, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2Ch 16:9). As we read of the afflictions of the children of Israel in Egypt, it must give us much assurance that we worship the same LORD who had “surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows” (Ex 3:7). Because God has revealed Himself to us through His Word with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, we must trust Him. We must fulfill our necessary human responsibility, and be subject to the government powers He has placed over us, but let us trust only His Sovereign Hand amidst all the turmoil, regardless of what may happen in the future. “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us” (Ps 123:2). Let us remember, 

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matt 10:30)

Yours in our Lord’s service,

Pastor