Where is God and how do we believe in Him now?

There are so many layers to life that are being affected by the Corona virus. I can’t even begin to imagine. The obvious ones have been those whose immediate incomes were badly affected because of the lock downs or movement restrictions where they are. Then you have those who are being told about upcoming loss of jobs, radical pay cuts and whatnots. Students overseas are being told if they can’t support themselves, that they may need to return home. How painful for young dreams at those words. Old folk are suddenly even more isolated than before: it’s out of love that their loved ones can’t visit them. Travel bans not just internationally but in countries like mine, we aren’t allowed to go more than a 10-kilometer radius. Buying things is simply not the same: online deliveries are being stretched under a heavy strain and you’ve just got to stomach it if you can’t get exactly what you want. All of us at so many different levels are having to adjust to a new social order and we’ve not been given much choice or notice! It’s a do or die feeling at points, which probably is why people fight over bog-rolls and panic buy. You just don’t know what will happen.

I cannot imagine for a moment those who are sick. They can’t be visited by family or friends, who would otherwise be their source of comfort. As a Christian, I know that God’s love is displayed through these players in our lives: we feel comfort and are cared for. That is grace. So it puts me out trying to reconcile how some of these people have had to die alone and how so many are having to suffer alone in hospitals while the rest of us have to go on, on our own, in the land of the living, which doesn’t feel very recognizable anymore. I can understand why anyone would question God and His goodness that Christians so often talk about. How could a loving God do this? Where is the justice of it all?

Within my own sphere of family and friends alone, there’s much going on. I know people who have been suffering from loneliness as a result of various circumstances: some have lost spouses/family, some have had to go through divorce, some have lost the ability to go out into the world because of illness – and the list goes on. How much more isolated do they feel now? It is hard to imagine. I can’t even begin to think of the things that run through their heads. I know people who struggle with anxiety. Under normal circumstances, they were anxious. I can’t imagine what this whole situation with Covid19 is doing to their anxiety levels. I can’t even begin, nay – I dare not begin to imagine, the fear that they are projecting on to others as a result. How much higher do their stress levels go, I can’t imagine! I know people who tend to keep to themselves a lot and who generally get overlooked. Some do try to keep in touch but now with travel bans, are cut off from visits and can’t help more. At the best of times, these hermit sorts struggle to ask for help. It’s a paradox that never fails to perplex me. Now, even more, they may need help but just can’t ask for it because help’s not going to come from a quarter that they’re familiar with. They go on to suffer alone. I can’t imagine how I’m going to work things out for my own job, where I need to meet with people and get them together over events. This is a curve ball that has winded me, and I need a moment to process it. Yet, at least, there is something to process, which is, a blessing. That makes me think about those who’ve lost their jobs. How do they pay the bills? How do they get in supplies? What does this do to morale? I can’t imagine those who struggle with depression and other illnesses, where these times of added troubles may be triggers to some of their battles. I can’t for a moment fathom how to help some of them work it out. I can’t imagine a no movement order that may mean a person is locked in with their abuser. That feels like a hell of its own kind. You can’t even escape. Physical abuse is one thing, what about those who are being abused emotionally at this time? Some of them may not even realize they are being abused: they just know they have a sinking feeling inside. How can I imagine this feeling of being unappreciated, uncared for, etc.? Adults may be able to reach out for some sort of help through hotlines that are being put out. What happens if it’s a child? I can’t begin to imagine this pain. There are so many layers of our lives that this virus has attacked.

World leaders very obviously are out of their depths. In countries like mine, you hardly know whether to laugh or cry, when married women are asked to mimic Doraemon, who turns out to be a Japanese manga character (a male robot cat – I have no idea how this is possible, so don’t ask). There are ridiculous suggestions such as using Africans as human test subjects for the Corona virus drug. There are ridiculous accusations of hospital staff stealing much needed protective equipment as they’re on the frontlines trying to save lives. There are so many ridiculous ideas and theories floating around right now: it’s impossible to list out.

To me, as I look at the smatterings of pain and hardship inflicted by the Corona virus, I cannot help but feel that our human fragility is exposed to the core. I guess, it all goes back to the question of where is God? It’s a difficult question to answer in times like this. I read the following quote in an article in The New York Times, entitled ‘Where Is God in a Pandemic?’: “In the end, the most honest answer to the question of why the Covid19 virus is killing thousands of people, why infectious diseases ravage humanity and why there is suffering at all is: We don’t know. For me, this is the most honest and accurate answer. One could also suggest how viruses are part of the natural world and in some way contribute to life, but this approach fails abjectly when speaking to someone who has lost a friend or loved one. An important question for the believer in times of suffering is this: Can you believe in a God you don’t understand?” I hear this question a lot these days.

The question at the end of the quote above is what I want to speak to. I can believe in God even if I cannot claim to fully understand Him. Here is why:

I must say one thing first: Jesus never promised us a life free of pain. He never said that everything would be hunky dory if we believed and followed Him. Many people claim this promise. It is a promise that was never made. I don’t remember a situation in the Bible where God changed the circumstances. I remember Him granting His people ways to cope or to get through their troubles, but I don’t recall a situation where He changed the circumstances. God’s rescue has never been pretty. I’m thinking of the escape from Egypt, the countless warfare engaged in by His people and ultimately, the gruesome sight of Jesus hanging on a cross as an act of deliverance for all those who put their trust in Him. Whether you are a believer or not, the idea of Jesus, on the cross, dying for humanity, is a hard one to take. To someone who doesn’t believe, it is a medieval idea of punishment from a mean God. They argue against the idea of fear and say that God is love. To me this is the theory of an impotent God. If you or I had one thing done against us, we are up in arms. Oh, yes, we are!  We are offended by insults against our character, or pushbacks (that may even be justified) but which expose some failing. We are offended when we’re overlooked or not acknowledged. We’re offended for many reasons, some of which may be fair reasons, but most of which aren’t always just. To a believer, God, who is perfect has the bigger right to be offended against the many human sins. The imperfect human has a lesser right. The idea of Jesus dying on a cross, is also very difficult for a Christian to take. When you start to believe, your sin is impressed upon you and as you read God’s Word and look at Jesus more closely, you start to see why His death is just so wrong. It should’ve been us. So, to both the believer and the non-believer, God’s rescue is painful.

However, the believer can still believe because whilst we may not fully understand God, He understands us. Jesus, who we believe was fully human and he identified Himself with man (Matthew 3: 13- 17; Mark 1: 9 -11) even as He was fully God, suffered. He understands the depths of human suffering. It would be fair to say that He knew loneliness: He suffered alone in the end. He was deserted by His friends (Mark 14:50; Luke 22: 59 – 62; Isaiah 53: 3). He was deserted by God (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). He died alone on a cross, striped of all His glory. To this end, believers who are struggling with loneliness know that they have a God who understands. He empathizes in a way another person can’t. To believers who may be abandoned, defeated by these circumstances, grieving loss, fighting for their lives, etc. their trust is in a God who understands. It is in a God who isn’t alien to the concept of suffering, and who is truly able to love them as a result. It is in a God, who Himself, suffered the biggest injustice (perfect being dying for sinners, whose value would never come close to His own) and who as a result of defeating that cruel cross, can give to all who identify themselves in Him, the crown of life. The strength of our belief isn’t from us. It is a gift from God – or else, we’d not be able to believe or hold on (Ephesians 2: 8 – 9; Philippians 1: 29; Acts 3: 16). I guess it’s not the question of what we need to understand or do but what we know our rescuer understands and has done.

There will be believers who will lose their lives, sadly. There will be a lot of grief and pain. There will be isolation in more ways than one right now. There will be hardships from the economic downturn that is coming hard on the heels of this virus. There will be a drastic change to life as we know it in many ways – the list goes on and on and on. It is difficult to always find comfort when it hurts but it is important to recognize the truths that we know. God is good. He has prepared a place for us. The things on earth are temporal, and we have a promise that there will be no more tears or pain (Revelation 21:4), which at times such as what we now find ourselves in, must serve as a spur not to give up that hope. The believer knows: it is not our strength that sustains us – it is God. This knowledge is not an irrational act of blind faith (as many accuse us of). It based on fact: fact that Jesus, God’s own Son, came as man to die on the cross, to save us from our sins. This is the God that we believe in.