This worship, posted a few days ago here in the Age of Corona, is beautiful. It demonstrates separation but the wonderous ability to transcend it. Technology isn’t always the answer, but in this case it is truly a gift of God.

Our needs as Christ followers right now are the same as they are in times of ease, plenty, and comfort. But suffering and difficulty can make our calling and purpose much clearer. Puritan Thomas Watson said, “God takes away the world, that the heart may cleave more to Him in sincerity.” Let’s not waste this difficult season, but instead use it to study and learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:18).

Last weekend, together with my friends Greg Cahalan and Steve Keels, pastors at my home church, Good Shepherd Community Church, we recorded two messages for our church body. In our first video, which was part of Wednesday’s blog, we talked about the need for God’s people to have an eternal perspective by focusing on and studying Scripture. In this second video, we tackled some of the difficult theological and practical questions Christians may have related to the coronavirus crisis.

Don’t let the Coronavirus or anything else distract you from the promises of God, or rob you of living the life God has given you. Live for Jesus in the midst of this, and you may come out on the other side, as we do so many of the trials of our lives, saying, “God, you taught me more and drew me closer to you through this crisis than any other time of my life.”

Once I heard a pastor say, “I’m tired of hearing people tritely use Romans 8:28.” So am I. But I am not tired of Romans 8:28 itself and pray that I never will be. When you use this powerfully explosive verse (and you should use it), handle it with care. But whatever you do, don’t stay away from it. 

I recently had the privilege of visiting the Joni and Friends headquarters in Agoura Hills, California. While I was there, I was asked to record a few episodes for their podcast, including one about the journey Nanci and I have been on since her diagnosis with colon cancer in early 2018.  We talked about our relationship, hope, and practical ways to encourage those who are facing similar challenges.

Most of us don’t give focused thought to evil and suffering until we experience them. This forces us to formulate perspective on the fly, at a time when our thinking is muddled and we’re exhausted and consumed by pressing issues. Those of you who have “been there” will attest that it’s far better to think through suffering in advance.

Those who choose to follow Jesus instead of their own path enjoy the peace and freedom of living the way He made us to live. And one day they will receive what they want most: life with Him on the New Earth where all the old bad stuff will be wiped away.

One of the best-known photographs from the Vietnam War is a Pulitzer Prize–winning picture of a young burn victim running in terror. After months of hospitalization and multiple surgeries, nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc returned to her family. What doctors couldn’t heal, Kim Phuc says, was her heart: “The anger inside me was like a hatred high as a mountain.”