Crowned with Favor during Corona

The losses surrounding the Corona Virus are incalculable: hundreds of thousands dead, tragic stories of victims dying and being buried with no family present, countless weddings cancelled, bans on gatherings, a halt to travel, and hundreds of millions unemployed. The devastation will never be fully known, and there is, unfortunately, a distinct possibility that the worst is yet to come should the economic and societal aftershocks worsen.

Can these traumatizing events be anything but a curse for all those affected? I have yet to meet even one person who is enjoying the Corona Virus, but it is already clear to me that what the enemy meant for evil, God intends to use for good (Genesis 50:20). The suffering he allows has a way of softening the heart to receive reproof and instruction, giving us a chance to reprioritize our lives. A response of faith leads to spiritual growth that otherwise would not have occurred. Our “spiritual muscles” may ache with pain, but the resulting godliness is great gain (1 Timothy 4:8).

They say you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, a lesson Corona has taught us well. We will value many blessings more than ever before should we regain them in the future, and we are learning now to appreciate blessings that we still have which could disappear someday. Food and shelter may be obvious, but those of us who grew up in free societies never knew how valuable unrestricted movement really is. Another blessing is the vibrant human bond with family, close friends, fellow believers, and even strangers in the street. I wonder if I ever would have realized without “social distancing” just how precious this interaction is to me.

There is much talk about this being a “dry run” for a reimagined world. Sadly, that may be true. However, I believe that God has not been outmaneuvered on this front. With seriousness and urgency, he is using this crisis to make ready the hearts of his own for any troubles ahead. Experiencing this worldwide emergency allows us to get at least a little idea of what it is like to be prisoners without freedom, and also prepares us for being refugees subject to uncertainty and lack.

The people of Israel faced the threat of a curse by Balak and Balaam just before their entry into the Land, but Balaam was compelled to admit the true state of the nation: “The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them” (Numbers 23:21). A similar spiritual battle is raging in our time as we approach the end, but God gave us the quarantine to prepare. This crisis not only will strengthen our longing for God’s presence in heaven, but it will also remind us that our relationship with Jesus Christ is the one thing that can never be taken from us even in our hardest of days on this earth. We are in a triumphal procession through the trials, and name of our king is on our lips.

Just like the psalmist, we face countless enemies and evildoers – but we can confidently declare with him: “For you, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround him as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12). It is fascinating to discover that the Hebrew word translated here as “surround” resembles a word with the meaning of “crown” at a later stage of the language. The implications are inspiring. We not only march in the triumphal procession of the king; we also are “crowned” by him with favor during trials. God is using the Corona Virus to fit us for the crown of life and righteousness (James 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:8) – a crown that will be revealed in eternity.