by Jewelle Mendoza-Reyes
A Servant's Sojourn
In a recent study in the US on how the pandemic is affecting religious behaviors, researchers found that more than half of the Americans have called on God to end the transmission of coronavirus, including some people who rarely ask for divine help.
In this time of global health crisis where most are under stay-at-home orders, it is likely that we now spend more time in prayer than ever. It is in these times of solitude that we experience an “epiphany” or a moment in which we suddenly have a profound understanding of something.
My epiphany moment? It is of no novelty but moved me to cry my heart
out. It was an awakening to something already known to us --- without God, we are nothing. Look, I was reared to that belief since I was young. But this time, it was a completely different understanding of dependence on God. This epiphany hit me like a ton of bricks, as if I learned it for the first time. It dawned on me that as humans, as nations we have limitations. We have finite resources. We can only do so much to keep ourselves and our families safe, to play a part in slowing down the spread of the virus, to provide for the basic needs of our families. As nation, government leaders have a lot on their plate at this time and they can only do so much to combat the pandemic, to provide for the needs of those greatly affected, to save as many lives.
At that point, I humbled myself before the Lord and asked for forgiveness for the times I was too self-sufficient, for the times I failed to do things I ought to do as a Christian, for the times I took His creation for granted. I acknowledged that I am most undeserving of all His favors and that I needed Him more than ever before. Recalling to mind the thousands of lives being claimed by the pandemic, the suffering victims of sickness, poverty, unemployment, I professed my faults and weaknesses and implored God’s mercy to conclude the pandemic and asked His grace to see this crisis through His eyes.
In life I learned that there are times God will allow difficult situations to compel us to rely on Him alone. Because as long as we think we can handle the problem by ourselves, we wouldn’t be calling upon God. In such desperate situations when we have no control over things that we completely surrender and totally depend on God.
As we continue to deal with this pandemic of our lifetime, we tend to grow more and more despondent and fearful perhaps until there is a treatment or vaccine available. But let us persist in our prayers. Let us take this opportune time to reconnect with God in prayer and scriptures, to grow our spiritual life and to evolve as Christians. Let us continue to trust and find hope in God amidst this crisis. Certainly, we have limitations, but our faith knows no boundaries.