Looking at the common challenge that all of us face today (COVID-19), not only in our country but globally, the common reaction of the majority is to fear or dread about it. Fear is often our natural response. We don’t have to think of all the reasons to be afraid; fear comes unbidden.
I remember a short conversation with our neighbor. One great day, he asked for some veggies from my garden and suddenly shared an incident that also shocked me. He had a friend who became depressed due to the impact of COVID in his business. His friend eventually took his own life early this month of July. What a tragedy, isn’t it?
In moments of great challenges in life, we need to learn to be strong. However, being strong and courageous doesn’t come naturally. Often, we have to think through different reasons why we ought to overcome our fears with courage. God calls us to take courage because it doesn’t just come naturally; we have to fight for it. In this time of pandemic, we have been confronted with fears on every side and even from within, courage must be seized.
How can someone fuel his courage to face a day-to-day challenge? By faith. Courage is an act of faith, because a courageous person acts on what he believes to be right despite the threat of a real or apparent danger.
History is full of stories of great acts of courage by people with other religious beliefs or with no religious faith at all. Their actions were still fueled by faith of some sort because they believed those would result to a greater good, or at least, for conscience and reputation’s sake, representing a higher moral good.
Our default should always be the WORD, the promises of the Lord. No wonder when King David in his moments of extreme fear, he wrote these:
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13–14 ESV)
Let us all patiently wait for the LORD as He delivers us from the danger of COVID-19. God bless the Philippines. God bless Israel, the world, and all our COG families.
In Christ,
Ptra. Mhel Perez
