2020 - Uncertain Times

Covid 19 is causing a global shutdown in many countries around the world. The death toll from this respiratory disease is rising daily. There is no cure for this Coronavirus. Multitudes of people have lost their jobs or have been placed on stand down. Overseas travel is now severely restricted as nations shut their borders in a desperate bid to stop the spread of Covid 19. In my own country Australia, the various States and Territories are closing off their borders for interstate non-essential travel.

The debilitating effect on the global financial markets has seen nations desperately injecting huge amounts of cash into their economies to prop up their failing economies. Panic buying by consumers in food supermarkets has seen an unprecedented demand, and empty shelves, for essential items such as, toilet paper, face tissues, rice, pasta and pasta sauce. Hand sanitiser and face masks are also in very short supply. In Australia all non-essential retail businesses have been forced to shut their doors. Restaurants and cafes are only allowed to offer take away food to their customers. Social distancing limits are in place, people have to keep a distance of 1.5 metres from each other. Frequent hand washing and/or hand sanitiser use is encouraged for every individual. Many people also use face masks and single use gloves as added protection against the spread of the virus.

Global fear and uncertainty is now the new norm. Fear of the virus, fear of contracting the virus, fear of an uncertain financial future and fear of death from this virus are ever present factors for daily consideration.

What would you say if you knew that events like this Coronavirus were prophesied about 2000 years ago in the Holy Bible? The Lord Jesus Christ spoke the following words to His disciples on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. They are only part of what He taught them that day.

Matthew 24:6-8
"(6) And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
(7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
(8) All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Look at verse 7 - famines - pestilences - earthquakes! Collins Concise Dictionary defines pestilence as "any epidemic of a deadly infectious disease, such as the plague." Covid 19 is a pestilence! You can't deny that various nations have famine conditions from time to time. People die of starvation. Earthquakes seem to be on the increase! When I was younger I would hear about an occasional earthquake somewhere on the planet. Now it seems to be an annual occurrence or even more frequent.

The 20th century was characterised by two world wars and numerous smaller wars between nations. The Lord Jesus Christ knew what He was talking about. In verse 8 above He tells us that "All these are the beginning of sorrows."  In other words, there is more sorrow to come upon our world.

Covid 19 is a global pandemic and it is becoming clearer each day that every individual in every nation has to do their bit in trying to stop the spread of this deadly virus. Times like these bring out the best and the worst in people. My wife and I had to do some grocery shopping this morning. As retired senior citizens we have registered for online grocery shopping as we have basically been self isolating ourselves away from our local community. However the huge demand for online grocery shopping has seen a delay in processing our application.

So reluctantly we ventured out this morning to do our grocery shopping. The mood in the supermarket was very subdued. People were endeavouring to maintain 'social distancing' of 1.5 metres from each other. Security people were around to maintain the new shopping guidelines. Shoppers were waiting patiently for others to choose items before moving into that space in the aisle. Strict limits were enforced on items in short supply. Many items were out of stock with lots of empty areas on the shelves. At the cash registers big green dots were on the floors to maintain the mandatory social distance between shoppers.

What was normal life a few short months ago has now become abnormal as people all over the world adjust to the rigid discipline required by Governments to restrict and contain Covid 19. Many people are fearful; with job losses, loss of income, the prospect of perhaps losing your home, restrictions on travel, applying for government financial assistance and wondering if you could be the next person to catch the virus. To say people are worried would be an understatement!

In times like these it's good to know that the true and living God offers us consolation and hope. I don't know your personal circumstances - but God does! Let's look at what the apostle Paul wrote to Christian believers in Philippi.

Philippians 4:19
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Now notice that God will supply all your need through the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not say everything we want. We all have wish lists and things we would like to have, but really our major needs are - food - clothing - shelter. Paul was confident that the needs of the Philippian believers would be met through the Lord Jesus Christ

There are lots of people burdened down with worries and anxieties at present. In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord Jesus reached out to people with these words.

Matthew 11:28-30
"(28) Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
(30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

What an invitation! If you are labouring under heavy burdens He will give you rest. Worry is a heavy burden; anxiety is a heavy burden; fear is a heavy burden; mental anguish is a heavy burden. He can take away these burdens and give you peace and rest in your soul. He gives us an illustration to consider. The picture that comes to my mind is that of two oxen yoked together in harness to work. It could be ploughing or pulling a load or maybe pulling a cart or wagon. The oxen have to work not only as a team but also in unison. So the Lord Jesus is telling us to be yoked with Him as a team and learn from Him as we walk and work together. The result is an easy yoke and a light burden culminating in rest for our souls.

Now I want to take a further look at the subject of fear. The apostle John in his 1st Epistle wrote these words.

1 John 4:16-18
"(16) And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
(17) Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
(18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

I would like to look at the last verse first. Fear involves torment! Perfect love casts out fear. Why? Because as the verse states, there is no fear in love. When God's perfect love comes it dispels fear. One of the greatest statements in the Holy Bible is in verse 16. God is love! Love is not just an attribute of God, absolute love is God Himself. When we take it back to absolutes we find that God is love. When God created us He gave each of us the ability to love one another. I am not talking about lust or desire or sensual pleasures. Love in its purest form is derived from God.

Let's look at John 3:16, 17 as an example, "(16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

The physical world was not what the Lord Jesus came to save - it was mankind. God's infinite love is such that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ to us to pay the price of our sins and save us from eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. Are you carrying a heavy burden of guilt and sin on your shoulders? What did we learn in Matthew 11:28" Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

The apostle Peter in his 1st Epistle in 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to be, "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."  Things are tough right now for millions of people around the world. You do not have to bear the burden alone. The Lord Jesus Christ is a very personal Saviour and He cares for you. Why not accept His offer of salvation and let Him take care of your fears and anxieties. He has never rejected anyone who comes to Him in faith and believes that He is able to (a) to save them from the penalty of their sins and (b) to care for them in this life and in the hereafter.

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

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