Faith in a Time of Fear
Social distancing, what a strange new phrase we have learned. The realities of our world have forced us to at least partially shut ourselves out from the rest of the world. Things are different and not just a little bit frightening. As a Christian, how are we to respond? We know God has not given us a spirit of fear, so should we just go on with our lives as normal? I had been toying with what kind of response I should have to the new normal we are experiencing when I heard the best advice I have yet to hear on the radio. Well, actually they were quoting someone else, someone somewhat unexpected. That person was Martin Luther. Yes, 500 years ago, Martin Luther penned the perfect response to the coronavirus in a letter to a fellow preacher.
We tend to forget that Luther lived during the Black Plague. We learn about Luther and we learn about the plague, we rarely pay attention to the fact that they overlap. Luther was asked if he and his family, including his pregnant wife, would flee the city for the "safety" of the countryside. Here is his response.
“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash no foolhardy and does not tempt God."
As a Christian, you won't find better advice. Pray for protection, take actions to protect yourself, take care not to potentially infect others, and continue to serve God where He has called you to serve. In a nutshell, don't live in fear but be practical. Yes, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but he has given us sense. We need not live in fear, but we also need not be reckless. We also don't get a pass from doing what God has called us to do, in fact, it is more important than ever that we continue to serve God in whatever capacity He has called us.
