COVID-19: Distancing is no solution to a spiritual problem
As
the great Titanic continued to sink in the frigid waters of the North
Atlantic, bringing certain death to the men remaining on board, some
safety boat survivors remembered hearing the big ship’s string quartet
playing the hymn Nearer My God to Thee. In that last dark hour, there
was no one left to turn to.
The
title words from that moving hymn were most fitting, as James, the
half-brother of Jesus had already reassured the passengers: “Draw near
to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8 (NAS). This
lesson, having been well taught and understood in 1912, remains equally
true for all generations everywhere. “For that which is known about God
is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” Romans 1:19-20.
The
current risk of infection and the risk of mortality and morbidity is
tiny compared to being on a sinking ship, but on March 14, 2020,
President Trump boldly called for focus on the spiritual, seeking God’s
help in his message to the nation, and calling for a National Day of Prayer
on the COVID-19 threat. It was disappointing that President Trump made
no call to national repentance for the sins of the nation, but that was
likely a bridge too far for large segments of the people. Indeed, in
response to his call for prayer, the President received mocking from
many, and there have been few references to an Almighty God since then.
Instead, the rest of his Administration’s efforts have been earthly --
what we the American people, and our state and federal governments, can
do in our own power. Foremost among the concrete steps urged, if not
enforced, upon the general public is to practice social distancing, that
is, stay home and wash your hands.
But
distancing is no solution to a spiritual problem. And it certainly
does not work for everyone. Distancing does not protect persons who
must work for a living in close proximity with others, who cannot risk
losing a job, a car, or a house. It is not on option for those who
provide necessary assisted living for the elderly or infirm. Nor is it
available to first-responders, much less for those living and working
inside our woefully over-populated prisons. And, although long-distance
learning alleviates the burden of supervision, teachers are not yet
robots-in-waiting, eliminating all need of actual classrooms for human
interchange. At best, distancing modulates the behavior of those who
enjoy the best of health, and those who would otherwise act
presumptuously. But on the other hand, isolation and loneliness is said
to deplete the immune system and increase susceptibility to illness.
While
there are no doubt benefits from the nation’s current distancing
containment policy and practices, they fall short of attaining one
necessary objective: the defeat of paralyzing and mind-clouding fear of
falling prey of the influenza. “For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7. Fear
produces a confused mind, rather than a sound, sober one. Fear will
cause us to pull up the covers and hide in bed. Fear will result in
accepting, even welcoming, sometimes demanding, assertions of government
power which exceed constitutional limits. The virus will pass, but
fear of it could destroy the foundations of our constitutional republic.
Defeating fear is possible, but only if the American people draw near to God. As Moses wrote:
And [God] said, “if you will give ear to the voice of the Lord, and do what is right in his sight, and give ear to his commandments, and keep all of His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I put on the Egyptians for I, the Lord, am your healer.” Exodus 15:16.
Many
would dismiss this Biblical admonition on the ground that it is limited
to its specific context, applicable only to Israel and her people.
Ontologically, they are mistaken. There is not one disease, not one
people, not one nation outside the healing power of God. As The Gospel
of Matthew attests:
[J]esus healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: HE, HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES. Matthew 8:16(b)-17.
"God's Light of Hope," licensed in the public domain by Robert Knacke
Rather
than focusing exclusively on running away one from another, distancing
ourselves from friends and family in fear of COVID-19, we also ought to
be running to Jesus, that “we might die to sin and live to
righteousness; for by his wounds [we] were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24.
We know from Daniel 2:17 that
“the Most High rules in the kingdom of men.” But we must come to the
Lord on His terms, not ours. He has the power to remove temporal
judgments from the people, but repeatedly in Scripture we see His
precondition of repentance -- a change of mind, and a change of
behavior. See 2 Peter 3. There is no repentance inherent in
simply asking God to remove the current “plague.” Where are the calls
from the Ministers of God to both believers and nonbelievers to repent?
If repentance is ignored, why should we expect a righteous God to end
the plague? How should we expect Him to respond to executive orders
issued by some Governors to shut down all elective surgeries, except for
the one procedure which is murderous? To the Lord, we sound like the
people who “cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” Revelation 16:11 (NIV).
Not
long after the nation saw God’s hand move as this nation was given its
independence from a British Empire wielding the greatest military power
on earth, our first President showed no reluctance to declare America’s
utter dependence on our Creator God, as he entreated the Hebrew Congregations of Savanah, Georgia:
May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land, whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent Nation, still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah.
May
we Americans, individually and collectively, draw near to God in this
time of crisis, “for He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek
Him.” Hebrews 11:6.
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