It is a tremendous understatement to say the Covid-19 pandemic has occupied much of our cultural conversation over the past few months. One study from the Pew Research Centre said 44% of Americans say “they talk about the coronavirus outbreak most or almost all of the time.” That is staggering. This has been a constant and relentless weight on our minds and hearts. There is more than enough conversation going on right now from Christian and secular perspectives to keep us busy for years to come. Adding to the cacophony, I had a thought I’d like to share.
A survey was brought to my attention done by the University of Chicago that said 31% of professing Christians strongly believe that God is trying to tell humanity to change through this coronavirus situation. An additional 30% say they believe the same statement “somewhat“. That means 60% of religious people believe that God is trying to get our attention. Then, I had the thought: God is always trying to get our attention.
Easily Distracted
The story of the Bible starts with the man and woman created in a perfect world. They had a mission, a purpose, and a partner. God said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God and the people He created were in perfect harmony. All attention and affection were exactly how they should be. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate the fruit, one of the first things they did was hide and cover themselves (Genesis 3:7-8). Attention was taken from God to what they were wearing and who was watching them. It has only gotten more complicated since then. God did not change, but we did.
What humanity was left with in the wake of that collapse is an incomplete relationship and experience of God. We are distracted by where we live, what we wear, who we’re with, what we eat, and who is wearing a mask or not. We are constantly paying attention to ourselves rather than to God.
God Speaks
In the midst of all these distractions, God has not been silent. The story of the Bible is, from one perspective, a long collection of God knocking at the door of the hearts and lives of men, women, and nations proclaiming, “I am the God who made the earth, I have something to say…” He does this directly in His own voice, through prophets, angels, written words, and, at one point, a donkey (Numbers 22:28). If you read that passage I give you permission to use Eddie Murphy’s voice from Shrek for the donkey’s dialogue. God also speaks through his creation,
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. – Psalm 19:1
God speaks through every aspect of his creation. Yes, God is trying to get our attention in this global disease. But God is also trying to get our attention in that delicious first barbecued steak of the season, the sunshine on your face, the cooling rain, and the joy of a child’s laugh. ALL of that is a reflection of God’s grace, goodness, and love begging us to pay attention, to notice Him, to acknowledge Him, and be saved from the selfish spiral of our day-to-day lives. King David expresses it this way in Psalm 34:8,
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him
Taste and see. God invites us to experience Him with all our senses. God is not limited to our ears in hearing His word, or our minds to meditate on His character; He can be touched, seen, tasted, and smelled in the good things He has created. God is not in a sunrise (we are not pantheists), but He painted those colours and textures across the sky to the praise of His glory.
Jesus is Knocking
Ultimately, God is asking for our attention in every detail of our lives. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
You might hear that knocking in this pandemic. It is so easy to feel powerless and afraid in need of refuge and rescue. “God is our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1). But, I beg you to see God in the rest of your life as well. In the good gifts God has given you freely. James 1:17 says,
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
The Triune God of the Bible has given us everything, even his only Son, freely given as a substitute for our sins. Jesus hung on a cross to accomplish a work that we could never do on our own. Vaccines can be developed for coronaviruses, but there is no vaccine for the guilt of our sins against a Holy God, except the blood of Jesus. Jesus is rightly trying to shout that truth to us over the drone of this pandemic and the constant hum of our every day “normal” lives. God does not want our attention because He is needy, desperate, or selfish. He asks for our attention because He is the highest Good in all the universe. Only He can satisfy our needy, desperate, selfish souls. Taste and see that Jesus is good and necessary. God wants your attention, affection, and devotion for your good and His Glory.
Further Reading
If you have questions about what God is doing in this season of Coronavirus, I would suggest checking out John Piper’s book “Christ and Coronavirus.” It can be downloaded for free from DesiringGod.org or listened to for free on their podcast “Ask Pastor John”. John Piper takes the Bible seriously in examining how God speaks through events like Covid-19 in the world, history, and in His divine will.
