Can We Trust God in the Midst of COVID-19?

Many churches are rising to the occasion and ministering to their communities and showing the love of Christ during the COVID-19 crisis. We applaud them and are doing the same. But what about our response to the Lord Himself? Do we trust Him and His sovereignty? Can we trust Him to bring some good out of this horrible virus? Can we partner with Him in using the virus to bring people back to Himself? 

After all, that was often the main point when hardship came upon God’s people. Consider the words of the Lord in Amos Chapter 4:

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. “I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months way…yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. “I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt….yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord. “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Many times in the Bible God either sent or allowed hardship to come upon people so that they might wake up and repent of their sins and turn to Him. Why should it be any different now? Why are we so focused on getting through the crisis instead of turning to God in the midst of the crisis? Why are we pointing people towards temporary fixes when what they need is eternal life? Why are we afraid to call our culture to repentance when it is so obvious that we have strayed so far away from God and His precepts?