The Covid- 19 otherwise known as the Corona virus has romped
2020 like a Blockbuster television series which has captured the attention of
the whole world. I have never known of a global pandemic like this in my
lifetime but this one has stolen the show. There was the Spanish flu in 1900’s
which swept millions of people and has been regarded as one of the worst
pandemic in history.
A virus that originated in The City of Wuhan in central
china with such a high infection rate has been so incessant in its spreading bring
with it infections and death of global proportions so far.
The global atmosphere is replete with fear. The global
economy is on a down right now with literally all sectors of the global economy
taking an almighty hit. Countries are increasingly on a lock down with many losing
their jobs. Its said that almost half of jobs in Africa will be lost in the
coming month thee are really trying times. We are noticing some things as we
lie through these trying times.
1.
The fear is real!
An afternoon a day after the first case of the virus was
announced, as I went to a supermarket store here at the heart of Nakuru town in
Kenya, I was met with a flurry of impact buyers flocking the supermarket; there
were notices all over. Keep a distance of 1.5 meters apart! We entered the
supermarket 5 people at ago. The supermarket staff had all adorned the
facemasks some of which I later learnt were not the ones recommended by the
World health organization. I even so one lady covering her face with a
handkerchief. The atmosphere was rife with fear and emergency. Why? The first
case had just been reported in the country and the president had gone to issue
some directives. All learning institutions were to send the students home and
more directives were to follow in the coming days.
Having had enough off the drama I cut short my shopping. In
the midst of all the cacophony and confusion, I still heard that small
voice. “Be still and know that I am God.”
We thank God that a month and a half after, the situation is
not that dire but the fear is still palpable.
2.
Fear on
steroids breeds confusion.
People have been thronging supermarket sweeping literally
everything. If you witnessed the madness of shopping during this period in the
united states, people have been mad about Tissue paper; fighting over them, the
tv stations are glad to show these images which doesn’t help in aggravating
these fears. Fear has revealed selfishness in us because we want to keep
ourselves safe. This pandemic has revealed lots about the human nature
3.
Governments
are taking measures, but can they ever be enough?
Various Governments have swung into action to protect their
populace curfews have been imposed, public awareness have been advanced, in
preparing for the worst, ICU wards have been boosted and improved with
equipment, the ventilators and other testing kits in place, some governments
have gone to the extent of fumigating all public places and areas deemed as
High risk areas but can they do enough?
What about the drive in test centers? That looks eccentric
and modern but even that is enough to guarantee human life.
4 The Scientists are not sleeping.
This is a new virus and highly infectious in nature. We can
estimate that it has mutated along the way. Scientists around the globe are trying
to find a cure for this virus and ooh my they have sweated. No wonder President
Uhuru confessed.” Even Science needs God.”
This is just one among the many family of Corona viruses
that is said to originally resident in wild animals. This Covid 19 is reckoned
to have mutated along the way changing its form on the way.
Has this virus come to reveal the futility of man’s effort?
No scientific discovery has assured man of immortality. Every day there is
still hop that the elusive vaccine will be found
What
Now. Hope or despair?
The default premise for any normal person would be where is
God? How could a God of love let this virus cause so much havoc in the world?
Has God abandoned the world to the fate cosmic occurrences?
Before we drag God into this debate as if we were age mates,
let us remember that he is transcendent over the works of creation. The psalmist declared in Psalm 24:1 declared
that the earth and its fullness thereof is the Lord’s.
The earth is the Lords and he preserves his superintendence
over the course of creation. Probably man has been running on auto-pilot of
self-dependency and this pandemic should serve as a reminder that God is in
charge. This is enough reason to lose hope. At the end of it, God will have his
way and his plans too can’t be thwarted (job 42:2).
Though a threatening situation, there is no reason to
despair and loose hope. Through all this, it’s going to become even more
evident that the earth is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof. Psalm 24:1.
Meanwhile we linger in wait for the Lord’s deliverance.
