Dearly Beloved,
Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. By the special grace of the almighty God, the theme for this month shall be on HOW TO ENJOY GOD’S GRACE IN TIMES LIKE THESE.
TIMES LIKE THESE AREN’T TOTALLY NEW TO HUMANITY
There is no doubt that the pattern of events which has transpired since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus isn’t entirely new to humanity. The bible once narrated a similar situation in Samaria — a historical region in the ancient land of Israel (2 Kings 6:24-33). Therein, the narrative painted a very grim picture of a city that was under total siege. That is, the city was in complete lockdown — no one went out of the city and no one came into the city — because the Syrian army had barricaded the city (akin to the effect of the global lockdown post the COVID-19 outbreak).
As a result, there was a great famine in Samaria, and it was so great that people resorted to very appalling behaviours such as cannibalism. But you know what? The siege of several months ended in just a single night because God almighty Himself stepped into the situation and miraculously caused an end to the siege
SAME LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
To draw parallels between the events following from the COVID-19 outbreak and the siege in Samaria, it does appear that there are some re-occurring lessons to be learned:
- Absolutely nothing here on earth (jobs, robust bank account, retirement savings etc) lasts forever (2 Corinthians 4:18, Proverbs 23:5).
- Our trust in men, government or systems of the day is not foolproof (2 Kings 6:27).
- We’re still human after all, full of self (trouble) and naturally beclouded by “the fear of the unknown” thus having the effect of exposing our ugliest innate behaviours (Job 14:1).
HOW TO ENJOY GOD’S GRACE NONETHELESS
Regardless of man’s shortcomings, the events of the recent past have proven that it is possible to live in a perverse world and still enjoy God’s infallible grace (2 Corinthians 9:8) as follows:
- Learn to ALWAYS put your trust in God. He is the ultimate source of peace and confidence in a troubled world. While our jobs and savings are no match for COVID-19, God is able to make you withstand these trying times if only you can trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5, Psalms 125:1).
- Serve God with all you have left in your arsenal and watch Him sustain you throughout the pandemic just like He did with the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:14).
- Be accustomed to living holy in times like these. As the bible hinted in Matthew 24, events such as the COVID-19 outbreak could just be a dress rehearsal for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Are you prepared for his coming?
If you answered ‘no’ to the question above, I’d like to encourage you to take the bold step of faith and surrender your life to Jesus Christ today. Eternity is real. Do not be deceived!
Just like God put an end to the siege in Samaria, He will soon totally obliterate the COVID-19 virus.
Happy new month!
Yours in HIS service,
David Ndukwu
