Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
- Philippians 4:4-6
This will probably be the most remarkable Easter Sunday in my 65 years. It will be remarkable for the fact that we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ in our homes rather than in assembling at our church. This plague has certainly altered our lives in ways that we will never forget. The infection continues to grow; the death toll continues to climb.
On this Resurrection Sunday let us take the time to remember the grace with which God granted us redemption I Jesus Christ. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” - Romans 8:11.
During this time of sickness, we need to remember that through the sin of Adam the entire universe has suffered in ‘the Fall.’ Each age has had its share of tragedy and tribulation. From the ancient threats to the specter of nuclear annihilation to the plague event, the world and all the people in it have always faced one kind of catastrophe after another. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." - Matthew 24:6-8.
And yet we as we approach Easter this year we are still able to access the hope that is in Jesus Christ. Despite our current virus emergency the means of grace provided by God to us are still available to those who believe in Him. The way to achieve those means of grace is as they have always been - through fervent prayer. “Is anyone among you suffering? Is anyone among you sick?.... Let him pray. . . and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” - James 5:13a, 14a, 16b.
And where is the power of prayer? It must be ardent, pious, and sincere. In other words, we must be genuine, reverent, and our prayers must come from our hearts. These are the prayers that God listens to. Prayer requires belief in God, not some fleeting assent but a firm and convicted belief that with God, all things are possible. The prayers of the unbelieving God merely ‘hears.’
Prayer remains our greatest weapon against the forces of the world, the flesh, and the devil whether they are represented by man’s inhumanity to man, the forces of natural disasters, or plague. Prayer should be our first resort, not an eleventh-hour refuge. And while God certainly expects - commands - us to use the common blessings of knowledge, wisdom, and technology to battle the tragedies we encounter, so He commands us to turn to Him for healing. “ . . . if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is the promise of our Almighty God!
Therefore, let us take time this Easter Sunday, a Sunday unlike any other, to rejoice, pray, and recognize God’s providential blessings to us in the resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ who remains our Lord and Savior, for -“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” - 1 Corinthians 15:19. Happy Easter 2020!
No comments:
Post a Comment