By the time we are reading this Sunday Word, we are on our 140th day of limited physical movement due to community quarantine brought about by the COVID-19 situation. Many are now getting impatient and asking for God’s intervention for this pandemic to cease.
As I reflect on this difficult situation, I remember God’s promise in Jeremiah 29 for Judah’s restoration at the end of a 70-year punishment for their disobedience.
God said that, after 70 years of Babylonian captivity, He will visit the exiled Judah and hear their sincere prayer and He will restore everything for them (Jeremiah 29:12-14). But amid that long and difficult period, God would like them to see His plan and purpose, including the following:
• Learn from it (Jeremiah 29:8-9)
• Live with it (Jeremiah 29:5-6)
• Seek welfare from it (Jeremiah 29:7)
Similarly, we can also pray to God sincerely for patience and for us to see the benefit we can derive to survive and thrive amidst this pandemic. Certainly, this will end and result in God’s restoration of whatever we have lost, just as He has promised in Jeremiah 29:11.
In every situation in our lives, may God be exalted and glorified.
Sincerely praying with you,
Ptr. Rodel dela Cruz
