The Tension between What we Believe and What we actually Experience: amidst of this COVID-19 Pandemic
The Bible also reveals an all-powerful
omnipotent God. More than 300 times in the Old and New Testaments God was
mentioned as Almighty. Many times, God’s continuing love and care is attested
(Psalms 104:27-30). Christ’s suffering, crucifixion, death, and resurrection is
the clearest expression of God’s love ever illustrated in the Bible. This is
the very morrow of Christian gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-3) the centrality of apostolic
preaching and whose power saves the world from sins (Romans 1:16)
“A
mighty fortress is our God, ... Our helper he amid the flood” wrote the great Reformer Martin Luther, so we sing this
timeless hymn! Wesley also penned an old time favorite hymn, “Come, Thou Almighty King... o’er all victorious”. Lee land wrote one of
the most played gospel songs before all these happen: “You are here working in our midst, I worship,
I worship you… chorus: You are Way Maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, Light
in the darkness, my God that is who you are...”
Amidst
of this COVID-19 pandemic, for some who lost their jobs, their businesses, and especially someone who lost a loved one because of this sickness might be hard to sing this song.
It was hard to recite the creeds. The very foundation of our
faith in the Almighty has, once again, been shaken! We seem to have encountered
a different God. Is the God we encountered in the Bible, the God we professed
in our creeds, the God whose power we sang, the same God we experience in this
pandemic? How could believing still be reasonable? After all, for some if God
is almighty, why did he not control the spread of the virus on every country,
why did he not help the scientist to discover a vaccine at this point in time,
how did he not flatten the curve which the experts has been
studying and prevent the horrible death of those crying, begging and praying children,
front liners, and even Christians? Are not these Christians dying in the sickness
the same Christians reciting their creeds “I
believe in God the Father Almighty... And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord ... Suffered... crucified...
died?”
 |
| Jesus heals the bleeding woman |
In my recent telephone counseling
or debrief with few of the front liners and some of the people who have lost
their jobs and loved ones in COVID-19. I didn’t find survivors I debriefed asked these questions. They recall and
narrate their experience with awful grief, but did not point God responsible of
their tragedy. One church friend I counselled who lost his job and at
the same time found that he was positive yet asymptomatic said in weak voice,
“pinapaalalahanan tayo ng Diyos (God is reminding us something)”, a doctor also
sighed, hindi tayo pababayaan ng Panginoon, kaya natin to’ (God will never leave us).”
Most of these people agreed that God must be reminding them or he is still up
into something better. Some also claim that what had happened was just the way
things are. Contents of their stories reveal the quality of their faith, but the manner
they express reveal their pain, their “How long” along with the Psalmist (Psalms 6:3; 13:1-2; 35:1; 79:5; 89:46; 90:13).
Working on the Tension: Experience gives understanding to our creeds, traditions, and faith; at times necessarily reforming them—if we allow so.
The Bible is full of stories of suffering that resemble the situation suffered by the people in many parts of the globe. Israelites suffered different catastrophes throughout their
history. Wilderness, Conquest, Monarchy, Divided Kingdom, Fall of Israel and
Judah, Exile, Restoration: these were important segments where God disclosed
himself more significantly to Israel. It was in their slavery, exodus and wilderness experiences that they
came to understand God as liberator. Even the development of their doctrine of
resurrection was occasioned by their failure to explain away the meaning of
their suffering (theodicy). It was during
their exile suffering that they learned even more the virtue of humility, which
led to their national repentance. It was then that realities of God became more
sensible, thus their view of God
redefined and refined by the very condition of their suffering. Back to their land they returned with reformed
understanding of God, of worship, of creation, etc.
God also discloses his truth in history in various modes as
he wills. He does not cease to be a mystery in the event of revelations.[1] Allowing
Moses to see only his back (Exo. 33:23) suggests that there is more to know
about him. He never becomes a controllable object or manipulative possession
monopolize only by selected generation, culture or religion. He continues to
make himself known, usually, in less expected places (manger), people (Joseph
and Mary), and events (crucifixion), etc. until he died, rose again and gives
the Holy Spirit as our Helper. What he sent into the world is a Savior, and so
happen his only Son. Therefore, how can we say that the Creator God is totally
absent and/or unconcern especially in this very challenging time? God is still
seated on the Heavenly places, but it doesn’t mean that he is not present in this
world, as a matter of fact the earth is only his footstool[2]. Remember
one of the old sayings says, “the night is darkest before the dawn.” Keep
praying, keep believing - God is not yet finish, he doesn't only make a way, for He declared that He, himself is the Way.
Comments
Post a Comment