The arrival of the pandemic found me facing different queries from a wide range of people. It included the God-fearing, the believer, the ritualistic and the atheist.
While I will not contest the premise of my faith, I will discuss the rationale for my belief. There were two genuine questions, for both of them, I to turn to the Bible.
1. If there is a God who is all-powerful, why are believers in God waiting for the vaccine?
2. If I have faith in God and His powers, why do I need the vaccine or the precautions? God can protect us miraculously.
The ministry of Jesus was for about three years and there are approximately 37 recorded miracles in the Bible. Scope for varied situations in the first-century era was limited. Life was simple. It seems the incidents are irrelevant today, leaving our questions unsolved. Yet, Jesus left us with answers that hold well through all the complexities of this very day and age.
1. The woman with the issue of blood - was healed
only by touching the hem of his garment.[1]
2. Peter, James and John obeyed Jesus and set out their nets again to catch fish, even after trying the entire night. The reward for their faith came in the form of a huge catch.[2]
3. The man with a withered hand at the synagogue got healed. He trusted Jesus, despite all odds and God honoured his faith.[3]
What do they reveal?
At times faith like a mustard seed is enough to bring forth great results.[4]
Through a medium
1. The instance of Jesus turning water into wine - He chose to fill the pitchers with water. [5]
2. The blind man Jesus healed using spit and mud.[6] Was it then prophetic, that millions of medicines would get invented in the centuries to follow? For we know, all knowledge comes from God.[7]
3. Jesus feeds the multitude but looks for food before He multiplied the little boy's bread and fish.[8]
What is the significance?
At times to comprehend God's glory, we may need a medium.
Acts and instances of direct intervention
1. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by calling out his name.[9]
2. He commanded the wind and the waves to calm the storm.[10]
3. In the region of the Gerasenes, Jesus rebuked the impure spirit to leave the man who was bound by it.[11]
What is the relevance?
God
can raise the dead, control nature and He rules over the power of darkness and light. He shines His glory
in our impossible circumstances. We must learn to wait upon His timing.
God works amongst all men
1. When Jesus enters Decapolis after passing through Sidon, some people brought before him a deaf man and begged Him to place his hand on the man. The text does not specify that the man was a gentile, but the Gospel of Mark states that he lived in the gentile Decapolis region. He also heals the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman. She asks Jesus about whether his mission extends to the gentiles.[12]
2. Jesus offered to go to the house and heal the Roman Centurion’s servant[13]. However, he chose to depend on Jesus' word of authority. The servant got healed that very day.
3. When Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon; a Canaanite woman from nearby came to him. She requested for the deliverance of her demon-possessed daughter. Seeing her faith, Jesus granted her request and healed the daughter.
What was the reason?
God is no respecter of person. He came for every nationality, race, tribe and religion. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world” NOT God so loved “certain people”.
For my non-believing friends, I would say, give God a try before you reject Him. He is the source of all knowledge and makes everything perfect in His plan. He can remove this pandemic like He calmed the storm.
Maybe He wants to work through the vaccine and medication to reveal His glory. Yet through it all, He wants us to have faith like the woman who touched the hem of His garment. And yes, His healing will come for all nations and all man.
To my believer friends, who are in doubt, God and medical science work in collaboration, not competition. Do not refuse, reject or disrespect the knowledge and resources of this world. The vaccine, the medication and the precautions are essential tools of God. Everything comes from Him and the best assurance for us is the Word of God.
May you be blessed!
|
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of
the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;...” |
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of
the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and
instruction.” |
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” |
[1] Matthew 9:20–22, Mark 5:25–34, Luke 8:43–48
[2] Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:2–11; John
1:40–42
[3] Matthew 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11
[4] Matthew 17:20
[5]John 2:1–11
[6] John 9:6
[7] Daniel 2:20
[8] Matthew
14:13-21, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:5-15
[9] John
11:38-44
[10] Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41, and Luke 8:22–25
[11] Matthew
8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20
[12] Non-Jewish people were called gentiles
[13] Romans did not follow the faith of Jesus
