Over the past two months, with the outbreak of the coronavirus and the rapid change of “normal” life as we know it, I have experienced quite an array of emotions. Here are a few: fear (that I could have or will get COVID-19), panic (because everybody else is panicked!), joy (that the market finally received the correction it needed), sadness (that I cannot worship with my church family in person), and many others. In all these emotions, I have realized, once again, that theology (and a biblical worldview) matters—a great deal.
Theology matters because in times of crisis, I need something stable and true to cling to. For example, I recently wrote a blog article on the coronavirus and the last days. In the article, which I will not rehash, I explain how a few theological truths have helped keep me grounded and stable in these uncertain days. As another example, I believe God not only allowed the new coronavirus, but He also created it for His own glory. Though I do not know the zillions of ways He is using the virus to maximize His glory, my theology says that He is. And embracing this theology keeps me grounded and stable in difficult times.
Theology matters in difficult times. But it is not primarily in difficult times that we should learn, study, and grow in our understanding of God and His Word. As we say in the medical realm, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, too, spiritually, the time to learn, study, and grow in our understanding of God and His Word is not when crisis hits, but before the crisis begins. Then, when the crisis does hit, we will be armed with truth.
And make no mistake about it, when the crisis does hit, your theology will be tested, sometimes to the core. When those moments happen, we need to be ready. We can make ourselves ready by continually attending to the ordinary means of grace God has orchestrated (scripture, prayer, preaching, fellowship, and the ordinances).
To continue to sharpen your theology, I encourage you during this pandemic to keep availing yourself to the stated meetings of GCBC—Sunday live stream, Wednesday prayer/Bible studies/gatherings, and Grace Groups.
Pastor Dan