Dear reader,
Here we are in 2020, facing a worldwide crisis called the COVID-19 pandemic. The world stopped revolving. Everybody is stuck in their homes, aeroplanes are grounded to the floor, shopping centres are all closed, and most importantly, tissue papers are missing on the shelves. Hahaha. Our daily routines have been broken and the plans we’ve probably made at the start of the year, well… there’s a slim chance of them happening now, because of the situation. Most likely you feel paralysed now, since it’s been 3 weeks already and you might already be going insane due to the self-isolation. But I have to be honest, right before this coronavirus thing happened, I was starting to get a tad too tired, with all the activities I was having, whether it be at school, at church, with family and friends, or whatnot. It was getting very difficult to keep up and I was secretly hoping I could get just one day where I could simply do nothing and just rest. And then this happened. All of a sudden, I had all the time at the palm of my hand. I was able to rest, and finally breathe. But in quarantine, the question can be posed: how do we make use of our time wisely? Because, yes, it is good to finally get the chance to take some rest, but at the same time, we do not want to end like couch potatoes and achieve nothing during this very long period of #StayAtHome.
We cannot neglect the fact that this coronavirus has affected and is still affecting many people, and it is such a serious matter. The number of people contracting the virus and dying is rising day by day, and that is utterly terrifying. Hence, the best thing we can do to help ourselves and others is to stay at home. But I realised something : maybe God is also setting us up so that we could reflect on how to wisely use this massive amount of time that we have at our disposal, just staying at home. I’m not saying this coronavirus is from God, really not. But you know How God can use any attack of the enemy and flip it around for His glory. I believe this is the kind of set up God is up to with us. Perhaps, many of us have had innumerable excuses not to pray, miss church and neglect our personal devotion with God, because of the hectic schedules that we are all bound to. Somehow, all this time, we’ve been unconsciously running away from our relationship with God, and getting drowned with all the pressure, all the stress and all the responsibilities and expectation that this society requires from us.
For me, intimacy with God was such a struggle that I had to face. I was religiously involved in the ministry, very active and always present. But sometimes, the ministry can become the very thing that we worship, rather than a mere tool to worship God. It can rapidly become religion, in the sense that « we do the work because it has to be done », rather than doing it passionately because of the love and tightness we share with our Creator. At the end of the year 2019, I was confronted with that battle and I had to work on it. It was a massive challenge for me to take a pause and concentrate on spending personal and intimate time with God, in reading His word, praying and just communicating with Him. Perhaps, this quarantine has got us stuck to a corner, where we have no choice but literally just use the time in our hands to bask in his presence. I strongly think that intimacy with God is and should be the basis of everything that we do. Serving in a ministry can become very tiring, if it is not fuelled with a healthy prayer life and personal worship. School and career can become such a burden, if we do not learn to trust first in God and put our faith in Him. And I think, when we take time to just sit in the presence of God, we realise many other things.
First of all, we realise that nothing else matters and that God is sovereign. No matter what we try to do and how we go about, at the end of the day, we realise that God is still in control. God is able to make the time stand still, just to take our attention. We also realise that He is powerful and He holds the world in His hands. There are many things that we gave too much importance to, and have now lost all their value. We used to overthink : what am I going to wear today? In which restaurant will I eat tonight? You know all the fancy stuff that were taking over, and now have become meaningless. I remember the Preacher in Ecclesiastes exclaiming: « Vanity of vanities! All is vanity! » As mere humans, we tend to give too much value on the things that are ephemeral, instead of focusing on what really matters. Suddenly we realise the importance of family. How much it matters to eat together at the table, and spend quality time with the people most closest to your heart. We also realise the importance of the environment. With less cars on the roads and nearly all the transports being unused, the air is clearing up and the water is getting cleaner. We now realise and acknowledge the importance of jobs we used to belittle, like working in the groceries, the janitors or all the frontliners who work in hospitals. Most of all, we realise the importance of life itself. With death violently knocking at our doors, we stop taking it for granted and cherish the gift of life and the little amount of time that has been placed in our hands. We also realise that, as human beings, we can’t depend on our capacities, and we are desperately in need of a much higher power – that of the Eternal God.
I believe as well that, this is a critical time where the Church has to awaken and be prepared. This situation made us realise that church is not bound to its four walls. Church is not a building. I like how Heimdall describes the people of Asgard in Thor : Ragnarok. He says : « Asgard in not a place, but a people ». And despite the Marvel geek that I am, I also believe these words are true for the church. All of a sudden, because of the confinement imposed by the government, churches are drawn to hold their services online. Just like that, preachers are preaching not only to their congregations but to anyone who finds themselves online and are susceptible to hear the Gospel. This shifts the way we should preach as well, with the intent to bring someone to Christ and introduce them to a personal relationship with Him. I believe the church has to awaken in such times as these. At the beginning of the year, I had a vision that in Geneva, the way people express their worship to God was going to take a new deeper level, and a generation on fire would usher us to that. Right now, I can see so many young people doing live sessions on Instagram to pray, worship and evangelise. Nothing can stop the work of God and the advancement of His Kingdom, no not even this coronavirus. I am convinced that a Great Revival will happen after this and many will come to know God. We might not understand this, but this is all happening for His glory. Romans 8:18 says:
» I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. » – Romans 8:18
In this season, even if we can’t see it, God is working. God is cooking up something. It might be difficult for you, but press on and keep trusting in God. This is your opportunity to work on your intimacy with Jesus and be tight enough with Him that you hear his voice so clearly. Don’t be overcome by fear and anxiety, but overcome fear and anxiety with confidence in knowing that the Lord is greater. So dear reader, let me encourage you to strengthen your spiritual walk and your faith in God. Let him speak to you through his Word, let him inspire you and reveal to you mysteries. May the majesty of Jesus and his Holiness be revealed to you, even in intimacy, there in your room. As you yield to Him, watch His blessing overflow and his grace abound in you and your family. In this difficult season, always remember that God is for you, not against you. He is ready and waiting for you. All we need to do is our part of the deal, come to Him willingly, run towards His arms. So reader, don’t let your heart be troubled. At the end of this crisis, we will see a massive change take place. But that change starts in and with us. So let us, with no excuse, use our time wisely.
Be blessed,
Angelo Powers.
ANGELO POWERS 