Keep The Faith

I think most of us from all over the globe can attest that 2020 was a year that we never imagined would happen in our lifetime.

We were introduced to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and all its sad ramifications, and even now we reap the devastation of the virus as we work to rebuild normality in our lives. When news of the virus first surfaced in the media, I thought of it as something very distant. Something that only happens in certain places. When we finally had our first set of cases in my country (South Africa), it was then that fear set in. The fear and uncertainty grew with each case that was reported because I didn’t want to lose any of my loved ones and I sure didn’t want to lose my own life. I know that death is inevitable, but it wasn’t something I wanted to think about. Ultimately, lockdown happened and it all just felt so surreal.

With it now being a year since the virus began to spread, I watch how doors are slowly re-opening. We are still faced with this ongoing pandemic, but there is hope with a vaccine being rolled out that will assist in the fight against this monster. So here I am, thinking about the Bible story of Jesus and his disciples in a boat and the storm that brought them fear. This story, found in the book of Mark 4, is so relevant today because while they faced a literal storm, Covid-19 is our storm.

We are in the boat (the world) in the middle of a pandemic (storm) and we are wondering just like Jesus’s disciples: “Teacher, don’t you care that we are going to drown?” (Mark 4:38 NLT). People have lost loved ones, most of us if not all, know someone who succumbed to the dreaded virus and we can’t help but ask, Why God? Unemployment has become an international issue due to the lockdowns that were implemented to curb the spread of the virus and we continue to ask, Why God? In all the questions that we have regarding the circumstances we find ourselves in due to the Coronavirus, God is also asking us: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? (Mark 4:40 NLT).

God was with his disciples on the boat when the storm broke out. Never once did he abandon them. Instead he rescued them and calmed the storm with ease. His very words were, “Silence. Be Still.” Just as with all of us, God is still with us even through this Covid-19 storm. We can rest assured that he has calmed the storm. Yes, the pandemic has brought about a lot of adversities but Romans 5:3-5 NLT reminds us that:

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love”. 

Keep the faith dearly beloved. God is at work and strengthening us. It’s not just adversities that we’ve seen during the past and current year, but we’ve also witnessed people achieving their goals and thriving. I repeat, keep the faith. God is still with us!