Following the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a global pandemic last Thursday (March 12), our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong provided an update on the COVID-19 situation.

In the concise 11:28″ live broadcast, he reassured Singaporeans by focusing on three aspects: medical, economic and psychological. However, as I spent some time praying and reflecting the next morning, I was led to consider these points backwards: psychological, economic, medical.

The natural response is always to see what is happening, consider its impact and then consider the appropriate response. Applying this to the COVID-19 outbreak, medically, we will first look at the facts and figures, study the clusters and see how best to contain the spread.

Next, economic impact is ascertained and the appropriate measures rolled out.

Finally, to weather this, psychologically, the people must stand together that we may get through this together.

Well and good, naturally. But in the spiritual, from a kingdom perspective, I felt the Lord reminding me that it is often upside-down; hence the prompting to consider it backwards.

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Firstly, fear cannot be the primary motivator. It has to be faith and hope in God. This is and must be the starting point for the people of God.

Faith and hope in God does not mean that no Christian will ever get infected with the COVID-19 virus or die from it. It does mean, however, that in any eventuality and whatever the outcome, our faith and hope continues to be in God and God alone.

Our part is not to worry, but to be gainfully employed in the work of His kingdom.

We do not want to be infected, but we are not afraid should we be infected. We do not want to die from such an infection, but because of who we are in Christ and the eternal life we already have in and through Him, we are not afraid to die.

If we truly believe that God is in control, then we must acknowledge that He is also sovereign over the measure of our days (Psalm 39:4).

Faith allows us to continue with what we have been tasked with that we may be faithful to fulfil our assignments, come what may. Fear, on the other hand, will paralyse and make things even worse than it already is. We will be responsible, but we cannot be fearful.

May we learn to discern the difference and have the right starting point of faith.

ECONOMIC 

Once faith and hope are rightly placed in God, the promise of His provision follows. 

Jesus said it in this way: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Our part is not to worry, but to be gainfully employed in the work of His kingdom. God’s part is to look after and provide for His kingdom people.

Could He be shaking our comfort zones that we will truly and fully trust in Him for provision?

In a time when businesses are being hit left, right and centre, I know that this can be a cause of concern for many.

This statement by PM Lee caught my attention: “The situation is especially serious for some sectors – hotels, aviation, hospitality and freelancers in the gig economy. But nobody has been spared. Everyone feels the impact, to different degrees (emphasis mine).”

Hey, I thought to myself, that’s me he’s talking about. If churches continue to cancel services, camps and retreats, many of my speaking engagements will be affected. Well, that is if I depend on the way things have been.

What if God is disrupting His people, forcing a shift in their paradigms? Could He be shaking our comfort zones that we will truly and fully trust in Him for provision – and not the typical sources of financial support?

I’ve always believed that God’s kingdom economy runs counter to that of the world. To see and experience that will require eyes of faith that look to Him, and not the facts and figures circulating in the media.

Another statement by PM Lee stood out for me: “We will help our workers keep their jobs, and retrain during their downtime, so that when things return to normal, our workers will be the first out of the gate, and immediately productive (emphasis mine).”

This sounds really familiar. On February 15, reflecting on a word that the Lord had pressed the pause button through COVID-19, I shared that it was not just a pause-and-pray scenario, but that we are to get ready for the play that comes after.

In my #GoViralWithPrayer live broadcast that morning, I said:

“The pause is only a moment, because after the pause is a play. So, it is not just a pause and pray, it will be a pause and play. I believe that this whole situation will pass. God wants us to pause and listen to Him.

“For those who align or realign, those who are awakened, and we are inclining our ear, leaning in to listen to Him, heeding this word to pause and to pray, assignments will be there. Once this thing moves on, God is looking for men and women – Archippuses – who will be awakened, aligned and assigned.”

To be sure, this is not just a time to look for alternative ways to do church.

This is an opportunity for every believer to pause and seek the Lord, to be realigned and retrained “so that when things return to normal, (believers) will be the first out of the gate, and immediately productive” for the work of the kingdom.

MEDICAL

With numerous reports and articles coming from everywhere and anywhere, we need discernment to know which are true and which are not.

Even experts and medical practitioners can’t agree on whether to wear masks or not! I am even finding it difficult to keep up with the rate of updates. So how?

Once again, we start with faith and hope in God, not fear. And then, we trust in His provision and leading. Medically, I’d like to suggest that we leave it to the professionals to figure out what they need to do. 

Unless you have a platform to do something about it, your opinion will remain just that – an opinion, however strong. (Please stop being a Facebook keyboard warrior – it’s not helping.)

In constituting a people for Himself, God required that the children of Israel first acknowledge Him as God, i.e. faith in Him.

In that covenantal relationship, God promised to provide for their every need. For their well-being, He laid down communal and societal laws that included basic health and hygiene protocols. Can you see the same order here – psychological, economic, medical?

Whilst I may not fully understand how the virus infects or mutates, I can be socially responsible by practising personal hygiene, washing my hands and not attending functions/meetings if I am unwell. This is not fear but faith working through love, a kingdom value.

Even if religious gatherings are shortened or limited in size, these may inconvenience but should not concern us too much. Kingdom assignments will continue, regardless of size and frequency of church meetings.

In fact, this may yield positive outcomes (as some have already experienced) as smaller groups are much better for relationships and authentic interactions. Large meetings, while impressive, have a tendency to encourage complacency and apathy, and even provide a false sense of success.

Where mega meetings have become normal for Christians, what if this is the new normal God desires us to embrace – a returning to the old paths, where the good way is (Jeremiah 6:16)?

It’s not about just avoiding or surviving COVID-19. For us as the people of God, we must see beyond the natural that we may discern the spiritual significance of the situation.

For that, we need faith first.

This article was first published on Henson’s blog and has been republished with permission.