By Pastor Rasheed Z Baaith
“See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)
As the world lurches from crisis to catastrophe, from demonstration to insurrection, from leaders who mislead to leaders who refuse to tell the truth, the world is a ball of confusion.
It is Black, Brown, Red and Yellow folks against White folks, the inner city against the outer city, women opposed to men, the young against the old, and of course Republicans versus the Democrats and anybody who is brown or yellow.
City governments are imploding and the federal government is dysfunctional. Deliberately.
The answer to the question of what led to all of this is easily found.
God has been watching as we have refused to be people of obedience, as we have questioned his judgment on the diversity of creation. We have decided that the LORD made a mistake in making people who did not look like us or have the same shape or same color of eyes we have. We do not think it was necessary for some hair to be straight or some to be curly.
And because of that kind of arrogant thinking, God had to show all of us who really is in charge. So he has allowed Covid-19 to demonstrate how dependent we really are on Divine Providence better known as Mercy and Grace.
We don’t seem to learning the intended lesson. We are hating, lying, killing, and deceiving more than ever before. We have more anger at each other, more intolerance and less patience with each other now than when the endemic began.
And many of us have become more obstinate, more disobedient. They are refusing to keep socially distant from each other or wear protective masks. Including many of us in the Church. Because some man has said to us that things are better or someone has said “God is more than enough,” we have let common sense anymore.
Our faith demands that we know “God is enough.” He always has been but it did keep Him from telling House Israel to stay in the house and let the Death Angel pass over. Do we remember what Satan said to the Lord?
“Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?” So the devil is acknowledges the LORD is not just a protector but the Supreme Protector. This lets us know if we stay within the Will of God we will always be safe. And the Will of God is that we obey those in authority over us.
If we believe the Word which says that why then are some of us church folk running the streets? Or congregating in large numbers. Why are we not wearing masks or even gloves when necessary? Why?
Why is because so many of us profess a faith we do not live. Or speak of a God we really do not listen to and read Holy Scriptures we have never really understood.
Covid-19 is a warning. A deathly serious warning that many of us will not heed until we’re somewhere on a ventilator drawing labored breathing. Sadly by then it will be too late.
