Back in April of 2020, at the very height of the pandemic, our services were shut down and we went with livestream only. While missing everyone and being desirous to keep our connections strong I wrote weekly letters along with YouTube bible studies.
As you read my post of April 2020, let us reflect a bit…to do a before and after. You will be reminded first-hand “Why I Choose to Put My Trust In G-d.”
Why I Choose to Put My Trust In G-D
It was Shabbat HaGadol, the great Sabbath before Passover and I made my way to the synagogue to live stream a sermon to an empty house. The following morning my wife and I went off on a bike ride, encountering no traffic with very few people in sight. Businesses were shut down, the few people we saw were wearing masks and gloves. Everything had the looks and feel of a Sci-Fi scene where we were the few fortunate survivors of a cataclysmic disaster.
Humanity is facing a global pandemic – the coronavirus – known as COVID-19. Life, as we’ve known it, has been indefinitely suspended – seemingly frozen in time. Who could have imagined a time when businesses would shut down, when schools and universities would be closed, a time when international travel would cease and there would be the cancellation of all sports? With each new day of quarantine, with each new day of restriction, we become more alarmed at the growing numbers of those infected as well as those who’ve succumbed to this deadly pestilence. Adding to our fears is the daunting thought of our economy and personal finances inching closer to the edge of desperation.
The world is at war with an unseen enemy, one that has caused to world to literally shut down. All of this came down on us suddenly, in the blink of an eye as our greatest minds struggle and scramble to find a way to defeat this crippling foe. The harsh reality is this: we are not in control and life is not always in our hands. All of our weaknesses, frailties and vulnerabilities are now being fully exposed.
In short, I choose to put my trust in G-d over and above any of the contemporary “experts”. Our time in this life is finite as is our understanding of events but His sovereignty endures forever.
The prophet Daniel outlined the rise and fall of many mighty nations, offering the foresight of the Almighty that kings and kingdoms will all pass away but “the G-d of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed… But it will endure forever.” (Dan. 2:44)
I choose to believe in God because His words are truthful, they’ve stood the test of time. His counsel will never lead me astray. With Him I will not be deceived, misled or lied to; there is no “fake news.”
Truth is the essence of Your word, and all Your righteous rulings are eternal. (Ps.119:160)
From a blistering article published in the New York Times, Katherine Stewart openly blames evangelicals for the spread of this pandemic. Selectively citing a miniscule number of extreme cases, she maliciously and erroneously portrays bible believers as “science deniers”, people lacking “critical thinking”. Had she merely applied some critical thinking of her own and examined the facts, she could have spared herself the embarrassment of revealing to the whole world her deep prejudicial hate and extremism. [The Religious Right’s Hostility to Science Is Crippling Our Coronavirus Response; March 27, 2020]
I choose to put my trust in God because His Word affirms science. Life does begin in the womb; biology does determine sex and global warming will certainly not be the end of us. (Unless you consult such “experts” as Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez or Greta Thunberg).
The world is at war with yet another unseen enemy, but one that has revealed itself all throughout human history. And this deadly pandemic is the source of all our problems, plunging the whole world into a constant state of dysfunction. This pathogen is universal in scope and is the sole reason for humanities sordid history of carnage and brutality, our continual injustices to our fellow man. The virus for which I speak is sin, and there is no man-made antidote.
The lone antidote for our collective malady is through the shed blood of Yeshua, Israel’s Messiah and the Lamb of God. Passover is the ultimate paradigm of redemption, during these sacred days may we rid ourselves of hametz (sin) through repentance, trust in His provision and enter into a time of hope and inner healing.
G-d has given us a fifty-day window of opportunity, from Passover to Shavuot-that we may transcend our personal exile from Him to receive life through His Spirit! May this Shavuot bring us a fresh, long-awaited time of refreshing, renewal and revival.
I choose to put my trust in God. Everything in this life is temporal and fading but in Him I have found the Rock of redemption.
A final word, when all has been heard: Fear God and keep His mitzvot! For this applies to all mankind. (Ecc. 12:12-13)