Several weeks ago as the reports on the Coronavirus began to mount in seriousness and intensity, I wondered if this could be a prelude to the end time events recorded in the Bible. While all sickness and disease can leave devastation in its wake, it does produce a positive effect in one respect. More people are forced to think about the reality of life and death and the things that really matter. Even questions about God and the future are posed by those who seldom give any thought about God and what is going on in the world. Questions abound: Is God responsible for this? Why has God allowed this? Is God sending judgment upon us? Even those who do not believe in God are asking these questions AND praying to Him. Whatever their motives might be for asking these questions, I am thankful that such questions are being asked. It provides an opportunity for Christians to offer God’s perspective on the matter. God is sovereign in all matters. Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah:
I hope it doesn’t rain. I hope I stay well. I hope God takes care of me. These are only a few of the ways we use the word “hope” in our present day. It carries with it a wish of protection in all of these areas and more. But hope as it is used in the Bible is much more than a wish; it is a firm conviction, a certainty if you will, that what God promises will be fulfilled. “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, (Hebrews 6:19). Hope is listed as one of the great Christian virtues in 1 Corinthians 13:13 (Faith, Hope, and Love).
Series about the Church
