“It’s like everyday is Sunday around here, the kids are loving having me and their dad around. I am in the kitchen almost all day because they want my cooking and, since I don’t have to rush out the door, I don’t mind spoiling them. They’re enjoying being home together and the extended quality time has been a blessing.” My aunt told me this as I called to check in on them from the other side of the world. 

I knew exactly what she was talking about because I, too, was living the same reality; my life has felt like a dejavu the past few days, but in the repetition, I’ve been surprised to find peace and contentment in having no distractions to our family life. Yes, we’re home staying away from an invisible virus and we don’t know where it is or how to combat it in our own strength. But as a believer, I’ve been reminded that this is nothing new; I’ve always been fighting with an invisible enemy.  

In fact, 1 Peter 5:8-10 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

COVID-19 is not a surprise to God nor is it out of his control. As discomforting as it is, this pandemic has made it clear that even the greatest nations can’t defeat it but for us who believe in Christ there is a silver lining, our only hope is in God and that should be comforting. Nations crumble under the attacks and pressures of this virus, but our God kneels to no one and no virus. Not despite the current situation, but in spite of and through it, our God continues to work to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish His people.  

In this technologically advanced world, we’ve been deceived into believing we have the ultimate power and control over our lives. Our focus on self-promotion had— subconsciously or otherwise— turned us into worshippers of images of ourselves rather than God. But, in the last few weeks, I’ve seen social media being used as a tool to build community rather than as a space to build a false self-image. The church of Christ has proven that it’s not a building but a body of believers who will use any means necessary to pray and make their collective voices heard by the Lord and the world.  Parents are spending precious time with their kids without the stress of having to leave the home for a demanding work environment. A lot has changed and I hear the Lord clearly say, “I am fighting on your behalf, keep your eyes on Me and pursue the things that are good and remain faithful as I work to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you and yours.”