A Christian Response to a Pandemic

by Sean Finnegan For more information visit lhim.org Deuteronomy 24:17-22 God made provision for the vulnerable in ancient Israel. This included the sojourner, the orphan, the widow, and the poor. He put safeguards in place to ensure these people would have what they needed. Psalm 82:3-4 The rulers of God’s people were supposed to enact justice for the weak and fatherless as well as rescue the weak and needy. Leviticus 19:18 Beyond those in positions of power, God commanded regular Israelites to love their neighbors as themselves. Jesus, himself, echoed this great commandment (Mark 12:31). 1 John 4:16-21 Perfect love casts out fear. God calls us to act from love and not fear. Those who act out of fear are self-focused and driven by self-preservation, but those who act out of love are other-focused and driven by genuine concern for others. We can learn a great deal from the example of our Lord as well as his followers through the ages, especially in times when plagues broke out. 2 Timothy 1:7 God gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-control rather than fear. This equips us to ground our security in God’s hands while acting in conformity to Christ’s example of self-sacrificial love on the cross. The darker our times, the brighter the light shines.