6 Ways the Coronavirus Can Be a Gift

If you asked me to choose words to describe the global pandemic and the novel coronavirus that has caused it, I’d use words like plague, tragedy, and curse. I’ve used the word evil several times, too. 

These words accurately describe the biological enemy that is ravaging our world, but they’re not the only words. 

John Piper, in his article, “How Do We Make Sense of the Coronavirus,” called it “God’s thunderclap.” Others have characterized it as a wake up call and a warning. 

Today I realized it can also be a gift. 

With no desire to minimize the tremendous hardship and death this virus has caused, I invite you to consider a different perspective, one that can bring meaning and hope to our lives if we embrace it. 

6 Ways the Coronavirus Can Be a Gift 

1. It moves us to serve. 

From fetching groceries and prescriptions for our elderly neighbors to working long hours stocking shelves and delivering supplies, we are lifting our eyes from ourselves and our self-focused lives. 

Neighbors are coordinating efforts to provide transportation for the blind, the sick, and the handicapped. Grandparents are caring for their grandchildren so their adult children can work. Healthcare workers on the front lines are risking their lives caring for critically ill patients in ways they’ve never done before. 

Many of us, some for the first time, are looking beyond ourselves and our needs to consider the needs of others. While it’s extremely important to minimize contact and continue to self-isolate, we can creatively serve each other without incurring unnecessary risks. 

2. It moves us to give. 

 Neighbors are sharing supplies (even toilet paper) from their abundance and from their poverty. They’re donating their time, resources, and skill to help those in need. Churches are establishing distribution centers for food and supplies. Communities are banding together to identify and provide for the neediest among them. 

On a grander scale, Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian disaster relief organization, airlifted a field hospital stocked with equipment and medical specialists to Milan, Italy, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. I smiled to see how, in my neighborhood, generous hearts are reaching out. 

On our neighborhood Facebook page, several women lamented about struggling to prepare meals for their families without going to the grocery store. I have two carrots I’d gladly trade to someone for an onion, one posted. 

Yes! another replied, I need carrots for the vegetable soup I’m making. I’ll leave your onion on the porch. 

I have extra potatoes if anyone needs them, a third chimed in. All over our world, people are sharing what they have to help others. 

3. It moves us to seek God. 

As we encounter life-changing restrictions and fear-inducing circumstances, people are asking questions, thinking deeply, and searching for answers. Restricted from normal activities, we have more time and mental space to think, and these thoughts are leading us to God. 

We’re reading our Bibles because we are no longer “too busy.” We’re seeking community with other believers because we no longer take it for granted. We’re examining our lives and making much-needed adjustments because we realize we’ve gotten careless and cavalier. 

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD,” Jeremiah 29:13-14 reminds us, and it is true. 

4. It moves us to pray. 

Like King Jehoshaphat of Judah, threatened by an army far greater than his nation had manpower or strength to resist, we kneel before the God of heaven and earth. We pray earnestly for divine intervention and abundant mercy. 

“If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us,” Jehoshaphat prayed. 

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (2 Chronicles 20:9, 12) 

5. It moves us to share our faith. 

In a world where fear drives every conversation, we can speak counter-cultural words of truth and hope. We can share God’s Word, which tells us not to fear. We can pray with those who are sick, frightened, or needy. We can point the lost to the Savior who wants to give them eternal life. 

Creative churches and pastors are broadcasting their services over the internet, sharing transcripts online, and gathering their members together on Zoom and Skype. Our little church’s Facebook Live service had almost one hundred percent member attendance with several visitors. The replay of it has reached more people than we could in a month of Sundays. 

First Peter 3:15 reminds us, “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” The coronavirus is causing people to ask. 

6. It moves us to look for God. 

As my former pastor, Dick Lincoln, prepared to visit a church member who had just been diagnosed with cancer, he prayed for words of comfort to share. By the time he arrived at the woman’s home, God had given him the words. 

“Every day,” he told her, “look for the hand of God. He has promised to walk with you through every step of this journey. If you look for Him, you will see Him.” 

Embracing the Faith Perspective 

Our world is facing an era unlike any we’ve ever experienced. Fear tells us to panic, but faith tells us to trust. By viewing the coronavirus as a gift instead of a curse, God can open our eyes to the myriad of possibilities for good that can come from this. As we view this disease as a gift, we can stake our faith claim on the words of God in Isaiah 43:1-5: 

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 

“For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. . . Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you . . . Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” 

Now it’s your turn. What gifts have you witnessed that have come about because of the coronavirus? Leave a comment below and encourage us all. If you’re reading by email, click HERE to visit Hungry for God online and comment. Do you know someone who could benefit from this post? I’d be honored if you’d share it.

Update on Refresh Your Faith!

In less than a month, Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible will officially launch. Early reports tell me that ChristianBook.com is offering a 27% discount and will begin shipping tomorrow. Amazon has it available for pre-order. 

Will you join me in asking God to direct this book to everyone who is looking for a way to energize their quiet time and gain new insights into God's Word? I especially hope to reach those who find themselves approaching their quiet time out of duty rather than delight. 

Thank you so much!

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