Pouting and the Pandemic

 

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

—Romans 1:21

A year ago almost to the day, America went into this long COVID-19 Pandemic. It has bewildered even the most astute among us. Christians and non-believers alike have been amazed that a virus like this could cause such havoc. Christians at least can ask: “What is God’s purpose in all of this?”

Many parents, when they are dealing with a bratty child who wants nothing more than his or her own way, will punish that child by sending the child to his or her room. Could it be that God has been punishing us because we have strayed so far from His will? If so, God certainly has sent us into our rooms this year. Has His purpose been achieved? Have we learned anything?

In reading through Romans 1:18-32, we find no better a comparative description of American society than this one. Get a look at this list of possible offenses:

degraded sex lies shameful lusts unnatural, indecent perversion greed envy murder strife deceit malice gossip

slander God-hating insolent arrogance boasting disobedience to parents senselessness faithlessness heartlessness ruthlessness

We have done just what Satan tempted Adam and Eve to do—to be like gods without God, self-knowing good and evil.

We need to repent of America’s sins, and also repent of the sins of the American church. Every day, we see on television and on the Internet humanity’s attempt to remake all things into an unrecognizable image—even nature and biology.

Remember, when God planted His created order in the Garden of Eden and set up the natural rules of the universe He called it “good” and the creation of mankind He called “very good.” We play “god” when we throw out the created order and natural laws and try to substitute our own understanding of nature and creation.

I think in this Pandemic, it is quite possible that God is calling His church back to Himself. We need to bow to His Lordship, to His will, and to His written Word. We need to spend time before Him, not merely asking for His blessing—which He has given us again and again—but we need to ask Him for His forgiveness and His mercy.

Our society loves to play the victim, to empower one group and to cast blame on another. We need to get back to the first step down into cultural sin mentioned in Romans 1:21. We need to glorify God and return our thanks to Him as Creator and Lord of all.

O Lord, deliver us from this pouting! Have we learned anything by staying in our rooms alone? Has our Heavenly Parent’s purpose been fulfilled? Or, do we still have a pout on our faces?

We need a new Breath of God by His Holy Spirit to sweep over us and bring new life on His people. I like the way Bessie Head put it in her hymn:

Oh, Breath of Life ¹

O Breath of life, come sweeping through us,
revive Your church with life and power.
O Breath of life, come, cleanse, renew us,
and fit Your church to meet this hour.

O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
renewing thought and will and heart;
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
revive Your church in every part.

O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
till humbly we confess our need;
Then in Your tenderness remake us,
revive, restore, for this we plead.

Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating
while harvest fields are vast and ripe?
Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,
equip Your church to spread the light.

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1 Head, Bessie. “O Breath of Life, Come Sweeping Through Us.” Hymn in the Public Domain.