The Coronavirus pandemic has rocked our world. Not just the globe, but our personal lives. Everyone is talking about it. Opinions are flying everywhere. Fear has nations in its grip.

As believers, how are we supposed to respond? Our faith is certainly put to the test. If we believe God is sovereign, ruler of everything (including the Coronavirus), fear shouldn’t even be in our vocabulary. But, for many Christians, it is.

That’s easy to understand. Wherever we turn, news of the Coronavirus pops up. Every third email is about the Coronavirus, sent by my bank, airlines, department stores, my church, hotel chains and my financial advisor.

Our emotions are frayed. On the outside, we appear calm, but our intense discussions say otherwise. In all of this, we might find it hard to shut out the world and open our hearts to Jesus.

Everyone is talking about the Coronavirus.

And so is God.

He has been talking about it for centuries. It may have been under a different name, but this crisis is not new to him. Imagine the lepers of the New Testament, the Bubonic Plague centuries ago and Ebola that is wreaking havoc in Africa. The Swine Flu over a decade ago. And there are other earth-shattering crises I could name.

God has been speaking about calamities since the beginning of time. These upheavals get our attention. And the attention of the world.

God’s timeless words reach us in the pandemonium of the pandemic. Jesus said, “ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

The early church was encouraged by the Apostle Paul, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

For the first time in my memory of 60 years, our world has come to a halt. It won’t be for a day, or a week, but it could be for months. Who knows?

Your social life is on hold. Your church life, too. And any sports or cultural events on your schedule are cleared out. Trips you’ve planned are likely pushed back indefinitely. Schools are closed. Workplaces are resorting to remote officing.

I just had a conference postponed, as well as an international visit from a colleague. We’ll meet by Zoom.

Life is at a crawl. This is a serious thing for many businesses. My son works for an airline. That industry has been quickly crushed. Your own work situation might be tentative.

In the midst of this crisis comes opportunity. You now have the time to spend with God. Your schedule has opened up in a way it may never have before and may never open up in the future. The blocks of time you had set aside for events, trips, gatherings and other activities are now wide open.

John Piper wrote a book over a decade ago called Don’t Waste Your Life. A few years later, he came down with cancer. His pulpit message soon after was, “Don’t waste your cancer.” His message was that everything in our lives can be used for God’s glory.  Even bad things.

Let’s not waste the Coronavirus. This evil disease will not beat us, but it is a trigger to get our relationship right with God. We can experience a renewed intimacy with the Lord, going deeper than we ever have. Not for temporary results, but lifelong.

(Taken from my new book, Fresh Faith: Leaning on God in the Corona Crisis. Available NOW. Free).