My prayer for this new school year and new church year was that things would be “normal.” I prayed that the students and the church would feel more like it did in September of 2019 rather than September of 2020. As we know too well, that prayed was not answered in the affirmative. We are preparing to begin a new church year with COVID-19 and its different variants on our minds. So, how are we supposed to respond to this answer from God?
The Apostle John tells us “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15). I do not believe that praying to have COVID behind us is a bad thing to pray for. I do believe that, because we are still dealing with this pandemic, there are still Gospel opportunities that God has planned for us to engage with as part of this hardship.
We all have our questions and opinions about this pandemic. But maybe the questions that we have aren’t the right ones to be asking. Maybe we should be asking “Lord, how do you want to use me to spread the hope of the Gospel during this pandemic?” Viewing COVID as a Gospel opportunity rather than a physical trial that we must face will help us better follow the example of Jesus.
It is a blessing to serve with you,
Pastor Lance
