What If?
The terrible news that keeps coming to us every day and worsening has men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth (St. Luke 21:26). And it has me ruminating as well, sometimes in the wee hours, as is likely the case with many. And my mind cascades toward thinking about a worst-case doomsday scenario, that we hope and pray and mostly believe will not come to pass. But there is also a chance that something like it will end up being the case: everything in the country is shutting down except grocery stores, pharmacies, and essential supply trains of various kinds; social distancing and a stay-at-home protocol is now the norm and the recommendation, in some states a requirement. This has already produced some devastating ripples throughout society, as workers are furloughed, small businesses shutter and in some cases go bankrupt. The stock market has crashed and continues to plummet. Unemployment skyrockets. The government prepares to spend over a trillion dollars on aid, and maybe more. Friday’s Wall Street Journal opined, “If this government-ordered shutdown continues for much more than another week or two, the human cost of job losses and bankruptcies will exceed what most Americans imagine.” And meanwhile the virus spreads, and no one knows for sure what its arc will look like, though there are some hopeful signs, and all is not lost. We’ll know soon enough how disastrous all this will prove to be, and chances are it will not be doomsday.
But I can’t help but to occasionally wonder: what if it is? What if everything continues to spiral out of control? Certainly no one expected anything like this in the halcyon days of … a month ago. What then? And, for that matter, even if that does not happen—as we hope and fervently pray that they will not happen—there are some things Christian people will do well to remember.
First, to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), and to put our trust in no one else, for in no one else is our help. Times of chastening serve the purpose of teaching this important lesson in a way we cannot avoid. No one really knows when this will end. But the Lord knows all things, and he is good.
Second, let us learn contentment in Christ, who promises to feed and clothe us, remembering the admonition to be content with these things. Times like this teach us to take nothing for granted, but to be thankful for what we have, even to clean water, food on our table, warm houses, clothing, and so many gifts the Giver of good things has bestowed on us. Indeed, even if, God forbid, these things should be stripped from us, there is yet a secret of contentment in every situation in life, as St. Paul reminds us.
Third, let us make an extra effort to be kind to our neighbors, for these times can bring out the worst in some people, who may yet come to blows over basic needs. Let us especially remember the poor, and the widow, and the fatherless. If other nerves are frayed, let us especially remember that these are the most important times for us to be gentle and kind, and to let our lives show that we know that our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
I am reminded of the pestilence that came on Israel because of David’s sin: 70,000 Israelites died. “And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces” (I Chronicles 21:16). And finally, “the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof” (I Chronicles 21:27). We do not know how this will go, but we do know who orders all things, and we know that he orders them ultimately for our good. Certainly therefore, it is also time, as ever, for us to pray.