Well, it certainly seems like we are living in unprecedented times, and we’re navigating waters most believe no one has ever dealt with before. But is that true? Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us that, “9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
Now, it may feel new to us in 2020, but the Bible talks about people living in “new normals” all the time, from Genesis to Revelation. And these include times of planning and times of captivity and pestilence and oppression and pandemics and disease. In fact, here’s the list Solomon gave us in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV):
1For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
2a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
This section of scripture, set to music in the 1960s, is not speaking politically of cycles or seasons of life in a romanticized way. Rather, in his journey to find happiness, and in his attempt to grasp meaning, Solomon (who wrote it, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) is saying that life is predictable, mundane, and, at times, is even boring. What you sow, you eventually reap; what you build eventually does fall apart. You love, but it’s followed by hate; you have peace, but soon there will be war. It’s a bit of a downer but hang on.
It’s been said that the problem with life is that it’s so daily. And that’s really what Solomon is saying when he says things like, there’s got to be more to life than just this. But he gives us a glimmer of hope later in Ecclesiastes when he says that God has made everything beautiful in His time.
Well, our time—and that includes this time of sheltering in place—could definitely be boring and mundane, but in His time, God will even make this good or bring good out of it—He’ll make everything beautiful and meaningful.
We need to remember, when we read Ecclesiastes, that King Solomon is in a backslidden state. Previously, he’d given his heart and his entire life to the Lord, but presently, because of his overall disobedience in so many areas of his life, he’s now far from God. So he has truth and understanding in the back of his mind somewhere, but he’s not living it. Instead, he’s experimenting with the world’s wisdom.
Well, likewise, many who do not know Jesus are sheltering in place or living their lives, even after lock-down, without the grace and hope that God freely gives His children. Titus 2:12-13 tells us that God’s grace teaches us how to live each day as we turn our backs on godlessness and immorality and indulgent lifestyles, and equips us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in this present age (or even in this pandemic season). We continue to look forward to the joyful fulfillment of our hope and the dawning splendor of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Anointed One.
It’s the same hope that gives Christ followers that confidence and joy that the world just longs for, even in these troubled times. The light of Christ can’t be snuffed out, lost, locked down, quarantined, darkened, or even dimmed in any way, if we’ll only keep our focus on Him.
So, is this new and never-before-seen thing “the end?” Well, as we’ve already learned, this thing is not even new. In the book of Acts, the early church was definitely considered non-essential, like some people are now calling the church. The Roman government, in fact, banned it. Christians were persecuted, families separated, imprisoned, and some even put to death for loving Jesus and gathering with other believers to express that love to God. They not only made it through and soldiered on, but Christianity grew, both deep and wide. In fact, the more the world seemed against them, the more people saw that God was for them.
While that might not make sense, it does in light of the truth found in verses like 1 John 4:4, which says, “greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” Greater is Jesus living inside you than anything the world can put against you. Quite simply, God is greater than anyone or anything, and that includes COVID-19, anti-God movements, political parties, or social unrest. He’s greater than feelings, like anger and violence, and He is greater than evil itself.
So, know that the times that we’re living in aren’t the first the world’s ever seen of pandemics, sickness, disease, violence, persecution, division, or anything else, and it won’t be the last. And it won’t be the first thing that Almighty God can’t handle. It’ll just be the latest thing in a very long list of things where God is proven to still be on the throne.
I’d like to invite you to stay encouraged with more good news by checking out my new video series, “Ask P-RO,” on my YouTube channel. I address issues just like this one in a real and relevant way. And don’t forget to check out The Summit’s weekly online worship experiences every Sunday morning at 9am and 11am Mountain time.
Until next time, go out and live all out for Jesus Christ.
~Pastor Rob
aka, “P-Ro”