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.
As
the saying goes: When God closes a door, He opens a window - in this instance,
a browser window. Many churches are turning to services online - these online
services are also filling the Facebook feeds of non-Christians. Yes, the
coronavirus is spreading - so is the gospel, and during a season when some
might be more receptive to the gospel than ever. While a pandemic is never a
good situation, we’ve seen it happen time and time again that God has a way of
creating good out of bad.
BY
SARAH ST. JOHN
Coronavirus
(COVID-19) is no surprise to God.
God
knew about this pandemic before the dawn of His creation.
Some
people may question why God allows such suffering, but let’s not forget that
pandemics are just another symptom of a greater disease: SIN.
Pandemics
such as these are ultimately a result of living in a sin-cursed world after the
Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden.
While
many of us may be distressed and frightened during this season, what if we
refocused instead on the positives that we might otherwise overlook?
First, as the virus spreads,
the gospel is also spreading.
Many,
if not all, churches have had to close their doors due to shelter-in-place
orders.
But,
as the saying goes: When God closes a door, He opens a window.
In
this instance, a browser window.
Many
churches are turning to services online, including my own church.
I
have enjoyed watching my Facebook feed fill with my friends’ various online
church services each Sunday.
In
addition, these online services are also filling the Facebook feeds of
non-Christians.
These
services are being broadcasted around the globe.
Yes,
the coronavirus is spreading.
But,
as a result, so is the gospel, and during a season when some might be more
receptive to the gospel than ever.
Second, individuals are
spending more time with their families than they might have in years.
Many
schools are closed, and many parents are working from home, while others are
homeschooling their children.
This
extra family time is allowing for more face-to-face conversations, contributing
to creativity to combat cabin fever, and encouraging us to enjoy creation as we
spend more time outdoors together.
Which
leads me to my final point.
Third, for the first time
in a long time, instead of more screen time, children are becoming bored with
being cooped up inside and are playing outside more than customary.
Adults
and children alike are going for walks and exercising outdoors.
More
people are spending time in God’s creation, and perhaps seeing it with
undistracted eyes, and therefore appreciating it now more than ever.
While
a pandemic is never a good situation, we’ve seen it happen time and time again
that God has a way of creating good out of bad.
Joseph illustrates
this point in Genesis 50:20 when he tells the brothers who mistreated him years
earlier, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for
good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
In
the midst of suffering, let’s remember the God who entered into suffering
Himself,1 and can bring good
out of any evil.2
References
1.
John 1:14
2. Romans 8:28.
Sarah St. John is Accounts Receivable at the Institute for Creation Research.
The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) wants people to
know that God’s Word can be trusted in everything it speaks about—from how and
why we were made, to how the universe was formed, to how we can know God and
receive all He has planned for us.
After 50 years of ministry, ICR remains a
leader in scientific research within the context of biblical creation. Founded
by Dr. Henry Morris in 1970, ICR exists to conduct scientific research within
the realms of origins and Earth history, and then to educate the public both
formally and informally through professional training programs, through
conferences and seminars around the country, and through books, magazines, and
media presentations.
https://www.icr.org/article/three-positives-from-covid-19
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