We’ve been hearing, “the pandemic is here to stay”, people seem to get used to it though we could be somewhat affected when we saw infected cases going up. Singapore has been somehow relatively blessed with few infected cases, but that didn’t stop all of us from monitoring the number of infected cases every day.

Somehow, what was alarming for the past week, was the surge in community cases due to a few clusters forming. It came unexpectedly. No one could predict that. And weekly community cases went up from 10 to 60 cases. A 6-fold increase, so to speak.

So what I can expect from the public or from anyone who has been closely monitoring the numbers would be an overreaction. And then we will see correspondents asking critical questions, as to whether the authorities have done enough. Or whether visitors to the infected hospital are wearing their masks at all times. Should we allow this and should we allow that? And probably, you will see a dip in people going to church also.

Now, being reactive is our human nature. And I believe that God has given every human being this reactive mechanism to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the world we’re living in. Nothing wrong with that. Yet, as people given the truths of God, we must think more than that.

Now personally, I don’t believe being reactive can save the world.

Why?

Because reaction prompts overreaction. And overreaction brings about over-enforcement, which is not good for societal culture. It doesn’t breed personal responsibility. It merely restricts people, but it doesn’t change the heart. It doesn’t prepare us for real crisis.

Now, I understand we won’t have 100% of the people think about personal responsibility, but it is good to cultivate ourselves to learn how to face crisis, especially as people who know biblical principles.

Now, I’m going to point to you a simple verse from David, which I think will speak a lot into our fears today if we are feeling anxious and apprehensive about a sudden surge of Covid cases.

As we know, David lived in danger, including the years he was forced to hide from Saul. And yet he penned this in

Psalm 121:1-2: “I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth”.

Now, David wasn’t just a fictional character. Like us, he was a real man with real anxieties. He lived and breathed on this Earth just as you and I do today. So it’s only common to fear. Even if you have done great and courageous things for the Lord, as how David has beaten Goliath, but a new crisis always warrants new fears.

Yet, the question is how do we overcome those fears?

Honestly, we cannot choose not to fear. Fearing is not a problem of the will, it’s the state of our heart.

So with the new surge of cases, how should Christians make sense out of it? Now, I love how David approached his fears. he said: “I lift my eyes up”… To where my brethren? To where his help comes from, i.e. God.

Now, why is the world not able to overcome fears? Why do men succumb to fears so easily? It is the problem with where they look at the onset of a crisis, whether it is a health crisis, financial crisis or interpersonal crisis…

Now, we look first into the problem. And not only that, we dwell in it, we get absorbed by it. And that is where we will overreact to it.

Now, with regard to the surge in Covid cases, let’s think for a moment.

First, if God is sovereign, God must have ordained it to happen. As what David said: He lift his eyes to the “maker of heaven and earth”, i.e. the God who created and ordained all things. And if the good and sovereign God ordained and permitted such thing to happen, would HE only want to create fear with that? Is that His main intention?

Now, in our overreaction, we are not thinking beyond our fears. Most of us will be thinking, “Well, it happens unfortunately, so we better be careful”. Now, if we were to think like that, we are no different from the pagans. It will seem to be believing bad things happen by chance. And we better get our act together now. Now, I mean the world can tell us those kinds of content, but we should not think like that. We know that nothing come to pass without God first allowing it to happen, or ordaining it from happening in the first place.

So you ask why did God ordain it?

Well, there is so many things God can tell us through this surge of cases. I can think of a few right here.

First, don’t put your hopes in men. Don’t put your hope in science. Don’t put your hope in the fact that we have relatively low number of covid cases, and we can be safe.

We are safe because of God’s grace, not because we have low cases. That’s the main message to us. No men, no government, no system can protect us if it’s not for God who protects us first. Have we forgotten that in our comfort? Then this is the time we should remember that. God and His promise is what we should turn to, not to the problem per se. The problem is always there, you know it’s there, but it’s the “greater help” you must turn to. Now, by recognizing that will mean “true humility”.

Second, it’s important to practice both faith and restraint at the same time. So by practicing faith, it means you keep doing the things you ought to. If I were to put it in the practical sense, I would say DO NOT stop going to church at this juncture. Do not use this as an opportunity to slid back into spiritual slumber, as many has gotten used to during this pandemic. Do the right spiritual things as you ought to. As a Christian, even as you go to church for worship or cell meetings, do not go with fear, go with joy and a heart that revere God. The God that is in you is greater than everything that is outside you. The gathering of the Saints is the most sacred activity that should be carried on even as cases surged. The presence of God moves powerfully not in your fears, but in your reverence for God.

Yet at the same time, practice restraint by being watchful and careful. Watch your hygiene. Slightly reduce interactions. Avoid crowded places. Wear your mask properly. Now, these are the things that have been often taught us during this pandemic.

Now, we know people let down their guards as situations turns better. It’s only human nature. But when there is a surge in cases, we should be more watchful. So when you practice both faith and restraint, you can trust that God will shower His protection upon you,  and there is no need to overreact in fear.