7 Day Devotional Responding to a Global PandemicSample

God does not owe us anything Five years ago, I came across a young lady who had just given her life to Christ. She had a powerful testimony which she was eager to share. Many churches and Christian youth groups would often invite her to share her testimony with their young people. She was accepted to study at a top university in London, and she was finally achieving her financial goals. Life was great and she felt physically and spiritually blessed! But alas, life took a sharp turn when she got pregnant out of wedlock. The churches and youth groups quickly stopped calling and over time she dropped out of university. Suddenly she became a single mum with no academic qualifications, trapped in a toxic relationship. Days before she was to give birth, I listened to her lament over her life. She couldn’t understand why God’s blessings had ceased. She listed countless examples of people on social media, who seemed to have it all despite their lack of faith in God. In that moment, my only response was: God does not owe us anything. Gifts vs The Giver Throughout my Christian journey, I have come across many Christians who would rather worship the blessings than the One who blesses. Truthfully, Christian leaders are often guilty of peddling Christianity to people by promising material prosperity and abundance, hence the overemphasis on the gift, rather than the giver. We have a cheap imitation of abundant life, believing it to be material possessions and good health. However, if you never got the healing, the husband, the child, the promotion or financial blessing you have been praying for, will Jesus still be enough? Unfortunately, the answer for many will be no. Many do not come to God for who he is, rather they come for what they can gain from him and when they fail to receive these gifts, their faith is shaken. The Tale of Two Houses The parable of the wise man who built his house on the rock was introduced by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount. This is a tale of two men who built their house: the wise man built his on a rock while the foolish man built his on sand. Although both houses faced identical storms, only one was left standing– the house on the rock. Likewise, as Christians we will all suffer the same hardships (bereavement, financial difficulties, persecution, COVID19 pandemic), however some of us will remain standing with our faith unshaken, whilst others will reject Jesus and foolishly forfeit their salvation. From the moment we become Christians, we lay a foundation for our lives and this foundation must be based on our obedience to the Word of God. In reading and exercising the Word of God daily, we are building a house that will weather the storms of life. God is not our cosmic genie that grants all of our wishes. In fact, all through his life Jesus prepared his disciples for the great suffering, persecution, and pain that lies ahead, if they chose to follow him (Matthew 10:22). Yet the reward for their faithfulness was abundant life in him (John 10:10). Therefore, our foundation needs to be built on Christ. Although many of us will experience unimaginable loss and sadness during this pandemic, nevertheless the only way to conquer the storm is to continue to build our hope in Christ and his word. Worship in the midst of adversity The strength of our faith lies in our ability to praise and worship God through hardship and calamity. We effortlessly worship God in times of prosperity but find it incredibly difficult to worship him in times of adversity. This attitude must change. Jesus deserves our worship even when things are falling apart in our lives and in our world. His sacrifice on the cross made it possible for us to live forever with him, therefore Christ is enough! We worship Jesus because he is the Christ (anointed one) and he is God. How do we worship God in a pandemic? Three things I found helpful: * By believing in his Word * By applying his Word * By consistently communicating to God through prayer