March Madness

In late December 2019, in the City of Wuhan China, health officials were noticing an uptick in pneumonia cases from an unusual strain of the SARS family of viruses. In late January the following year, the World Health Organization formally declared the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Con-cern, and thus the COVID-19 pandemic that occupied the rest of the year was born. By mid-March, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the pandemic a national emergen-cy, prompting agencies across the U.S. from government to the public and private sec-tor to institute measures to control the spread of the virus. 

This month will mark one year since most of the United States began to live life in solitude. Confined to our homes, for work, school, worship, health, recreation and leisure. What started off as something seemingly temporary turned out to be one of the biggest nightmares experienced in recent generations. The disruption in life lead to multiply reports of job loss and a plunging economy, business closed, eviction notices sent by mail, cases of depression and suicide skyrocket, and with each passing day there seems to be no end in sight. 

In Matthew 24 we read a portion of the Olivet Discourse where Jesus describes the end times. He starts off by saying that “there shall not be left here one stone upon another”. Luke’s account further tells us about the human reaction when “men’s hearts [will be] failing them for fear”. Certainly, an accurate description of what we have been living in the past year. But at end of this, and even during, we have a small glimmer of hope. Luke 21:28 says that “when these things begin to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” How comforting to know that during all that is going on in our world, God is still able to keep in perfect peace, those whose mind is stayed on him. 

The year 2020 maybe without question the year we all want to forget. But de-spite all the negativity we have a hope of a blessed future. As we see the end of the pandemic in sight, set your affections on thing above and trust that God will see you through. 

-Stephen Walker