What is hope?
According to Google, it is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen” and according to the Cambridge dictionary, it is “to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might.”
However, we have to ask ourselves whether there is any hope in this COVID world?
Lockdowns and gatherings
Yeah, sure. When we were in several lockdowns, there was hope that they were gone so that we could go out and meet friends and enjoy communities.
As I am a people-person, COVID lockdowns were really tough for me. To enjoy myself, I had to create Zoom calls and wait for the time when my assignments were needed to proofread. I also had to wait for Sunday Zoom church services and Zoom morning tea, to see people.
Seeing them creates joy within me. This does not mean that I did not concentrate on church sermons. To be honest, sometimes I lost track of hearing church sermons as I was so focused on people. But, most of the time, I did concentrate on them.
When it was the lockdown level one, I was so happy and excited to go out and meet my friends. Other than enjoying communities in Auckland, I also wish I could go to Korea and America to meet the rest of my relatives and friends.
Back to normal
Since there is COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, the government created COVID testing centres, COVID tracing application and bluetooth function. They also allowed COVID vaccines to become available in future.
Nevertheless, those do not guarantee us the complete protection from COVID-19 epidemic.
So, are we just supposed to suffer and wait until the world becomes normal like when it was before COVID-19?
Blessings
Yes, we have to wait, but we do not have to suffer.
God does not want us to suffer, even through COVID-19, because we are dearly beloved children of Him.
Instead, He desires us to have a relationship with Him through faith in Christ, since He is the perfect representation of divine God in the human form (John chapter 1, verses 1-18)
Through faith in Christ and a relationship with God, human beings have been given tremendous blessings that have gone down in history.
Other than we are God’s children and that God is our heavenly Father, Christ washed our sins away (Hebrews chapter 2, verses 14-15), has given us eternal life (Romans chapter 6, verse 23) and is living within us by the power of the Holy Spirit (John chapter 16, verses 7-15). These blessings have been given to us because Christ paid our death penalty by crucifying Himself on the cross.
Here are the promising Scriptures, either by God or Jesus.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (God, Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10)
“Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jesus, John chapter 10, verses 7-10)
“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (Jesus, John chapter 16, verse 7-15)
Since there are God’s promises in the Holy Scriptures, God’s hope has been provided to us from a spiritual perspective.
Therefore, let us cling to God and follow the leading of the Spirit. Let us depend more on Him through faith in Christ.
As God is the Sovereign One and Creator of the universe, I would like to remind us all of “Way Maker” worship song by Leeland:
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
You are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
You are here, touching every heart
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, healing every heart
Healing every heart
Oh, I worship You
Jesus, I worship You
You're turning lives around
You are here, oh, turning lives around
I worship You
I worship You
You mended every heart
You are here, and You are mending every heart
I worship You, yeah
I worship You