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Part One - March 10, 2020

THE GOOD NEWS

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

“If God be for us, who can be against us?”
- Romans 8:28, 31

THE WAKE UP

Last night, March 5th, I went to the store. That statement is not a Facebook post as, sadly, that’s about as deep as many posts on social media get these days. No, last evening’s trip, which included stops at three large stores, is worthy of note only because so many shelves were bare. Unusual and troubling, I was experiencing one of those moments that I had only imagined many times before.

We here in the United States and Canada take for granted our ability to go to the store 24/7/365. We expect to find the shelves fully stocked whenever we decide to shop for whatever our hearts desire. Seeing what I did just a few hours ago was indeed unnerving but not surprising. It was a harbinger of things to come and similar to what I remember about shopping in a third world country. However, I was not in some far away banana republic; it was right here, nearly walking distance from home. Just as what store shelves look like near the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf Coast when a hurricane is approaching from the sea, just three cases of water remained for sale in a huge Walmart superstore I visited. Residents from around the country are reporting the same barrenness on store shelves. Especially in demand (but out of stock) were items such as hand sanitizers, anti-bacterial wipes and soaps, surgical gloves, and masks. Now, for the first time in many years, we are watching as simple supply and demand spotlights a glaring weakness that is affecting many people. That is, that the 18-wheel transports that bring us supplies each day can’t deliver to the local stores what is actually not available.

One of the reasons for the current predicament is that until now most Americans have not heeded suggestions that we should prepare for possible disruptions in acquiring everyday items that we’d need. Generations before us thoughtfully prepared for various shortages as a normal part of living life. But slowly we’ve been lulled into believing that our supply of whatever we need or want would always be available. We’ve actually been duped by the “god” of convenience.

When I was growing up in my grandparents’ home in the 1950’s, I remember that they regularly canned food to be stored and then used at some distant point far into the future. They prepared, regardless of any forecast of rough weather or tough times, because they had been brought up doing so. This was the normal matter of course for generations before us. I never remember, in the 17 years I lived in their home, either of my grandparents questioning the practice or having to defend or explain why it was important. They just did it every year, faithfully. Today, if you ask most young people if they know what a “dry cellar” is or what paraffin is used for, they would just stare blankly until Google could give them the answer. Few people, if any, “can” food these days and, unlike our not-so-distant relatives, we are virtually 100% dependent on every part of the supply chain functioning without fail. Maybe some will reconsider this now.

“FROM A LAB IN CHINA TO THE WORLD…”

While there are valid questions that we do not have answers for as of yet concerning this version of the coronavirus, we do know that those who are under 60 years of age and without other conditions that compromise their immune systems are at very low risk of catastrophic outcomes from it. However, from the bare shelves I witnessed in the local Walmart, Target, and Kroger brand stores yesterday near our home outside Tacoma, Washington, it would appear that some who previously had not prepared their homes and pantries have realized this week they need to make up for lost time. It is obvious that few are ready for this kind of event.

Though I completely agree with the experts who are advising the public to prepare with a stock of food, water, medications, and other staples as if they were expecting an unusually bad storm season, just locating any number of items is the concern. These shortages serve as a precursor of what is surely coming around the corner as we inch deeper into the biblical last days. What is happening now with the supply of toilet paper, paper towels and the like is just an abnormal inconvenience and I wouldn’t classify this as a panic, at least not yet, but we need to take note.

There is no question that COVID-19 is deadly. There is also no question that some in the media are manipulating this story dramatically as they report on it. Objective reporting is hard to find these days but instead of calling out some of the politicians on the left - who’ve chosen to politicize an epidemic - their allies in the media are choosing to just chime in! Both pundits and political hacks alike apparently just can’t wait to attempt scoring the cheapest of points against the president. It is frankly unconscionable, but, as expected, it appears that nothing whatsoever is off limits for these partisans. Some are even identifying people as “racist” if they refer to this as the “Wuhan virus.” I suppose those who are writing or repeating that sort of condemnation believe that only a select few are “woke” enough to walk the straight and narrow of political correctness. What about “Lyme Disease,” the origin of which is Old Lyme, Connecticut, or “Ebola,” named for a river in the African Republic of Congo, or “Zika” or “West Nile,” both of which originated in Uganda, or the “Swine Flu,” from, you guessed it, pigs? How far will the PC nonsense go!? With that said, kudos to California’s Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom, who chose this week to thank and even compliment the manner in which the administration has dealt with him, his staff, and his state in aiding in their efforts to contain the Wuhan virus thus far. [1]

Thus far, we are hearing of cancellations and closures of sporting events, concerts, conferences, banquets, and church/religious services in attempts to slow the outbreak. Many schools and universities are moving their classes online and businesses are taking step after step to try stopping the spread of COVID-19. This morning, in what he presented as an attempt to curb a spike in new cases, the Governor of Washington State announced a ban on all gatherings of over 250 people. Imagine what would be occurring around us if we had just been informed about a virus that put everyone under 60 at mortal risk. Store and school closures en masse... highway and street closures… neighborhoods on lock down… travel halted... real panic in the streets... martial law? All of that sounds truly frightening, like the plot line of Hollywood’s worst horror fiction happening in real life. But the point here is that, as prepared with stockpiles of supplies as some might blissfully believe we are, handling an even more deadly pandemic followed by the reaction of our citizenry would reveal otherwise. To ignore taking personal responsibility to conduct some measured preparation under calm, normal circumstances only positions people to react fearfully should those conditions occur. All that would be needed to light such a destructive fuse is for broadcast media to announce that, in essence, it’s now time to panic.

THE PERIL OF THE NEWS CYCLE

The media is at least to some extent to blame for what is currently taking place in public. You’ve heard the expression, “it’s not what is being said, but the way in which it is being said where the problem lies.” With an issue such as COVID-19, we are now experiencing only a taste of the negative fallout that can occur culture-wide when the media reports on any frightening issue like this for such a large percentage of each hour. I shudder to think what the coverage will be like when something exponentially more devastating comes along.

Over the past few days, anchors, reporters, and news producers, at a loss for fresh fodder to load into Teleprompters, have long since run out of adjectives. Their unspoken mission is to make certain that viewers perceive that their only smart choice is to stay tuned. Indeed, there are shortages and, yes, without question the worldwide outbreak of a deadly, highly contagious disease is newsworthy. But there’s a huge economy in play demanding that those in front of the cameras keep all eyes glued to every screen for as long as possible. This is a central tenet of the news business and is itself detrimental to our collective mindset. As we’ve also seen, media coverage can have a paralyzing effect on financial markets too. News that intimates we’ll be losing everything we’ve invested and probably catch a potentially deadly disease is a powerful double punch that only delivers hopelessness and deepens despair. No, I certainly do not want to be told deceptive “happy talk” but one has to learn where the “off” button is on the TV remote. Most importantly, we need to remind ourselves and anyone around us where the source or true peace and real inspiration can be found.

The media has become adept at feeding the frenzies created by dominate single stories. That is what takes place in the 24-hour news cycle. It’s not that they purposely deceive us, though that certainly happens too, but it is their job to look into cameras and drone on hour after hour, convincing us that the fear and the escalating panic we feel (something that’s being induced with each new twist on the story) is not just warranted but simply proper. While searching for an elusive expression to keep viewers riveted, the words “stay calm” and “don’t panic” are, in effect, rendered meaningless and buried by the sheer volume and intensity of the coverage.

It’s no secret that I’m a news junky, but hour after hour of bad news is just plain bad for us as humans. It’s not that we shouldn’t be aware and understand what is taking place and how we can best protect ourselves and our loved ones. But at some point, with events such as the coronavirus, our quest to stay informed mutates into living in fear. Christians should know that fear is the opposite of faith and God’s Word declares that He has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). Frankly, ingesting news nonstop - especially now - gives fuel to mounting fear. Christians understand that our hope is not built on CNN, ABC, or Fox News. However, it would appear that some of us need to be reminded of that right now. The answer is surely not hours on end of self-bombarding our minds with facts and figures that lead to ghastly imaginations and serve only to drag us down while raising the ratings of your preferred network. The antidote is not grasping every new wrinkle in the story. Again, it is found only in God’s Word, and through prayer and praise!

WHAT TO DO?

If there is anything that people, particularly Christians, should glean on a practical level from the coronavirus crisis is to consider how to put ourselves in a position to be less impacted by chaos in the future. I’m not suggesting this with a view toward self-preservation alone, but consider that if we are caught in panic mode or lost in a fog of depression because mankind doesn’t seem to have the answers to the dilemmas facing us, our witness for the Lord is likely compromised and possibly even defeated. What good would we be to a lost and dying world if we allow ourselves to live only by what the news reports? How can we truly serve the Kingdom of God if our cues are coming from the secular press? I encourage you to step back and formulate a plan as to how you can be a ministry and a blessing to others, regardless of what is happening in the world around us. Wisdom comes from the Lord and nothing else will do. This is the time to seek the Lord without distraction. Nothing we face any day of our lives has taken Him by surprise. He alone holds the keys.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
- Proverbs 9:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
- Ephesians 2:10

Part 2 of “WHAT WE COULD LEARN BECAUSE OF COVID-19” is coming soon. In it, I’ll give some suggestions on what we can do to increase our peace of mind and to help us be ready to minister to others as God has called every Christian to do - even when we’re facing uncharted “perilous times.” Until then, I encourage you to watch and listen for how the Lord may be instructing you.