Until recently, for most of us, the word pandemic was probably not in our daily vocabulary. But for the past four months we have heard the word in discussions almost constantly. The New Oxford American Dictionary gives the following for the word pandemic: “(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world” and it also lists the following: “noun: an outbreak of a pandemic disease.” The present virus (COVID-19) is truly a pandemic. It has disrupted our lives, caused Americans to give up many of our constitutional guaranteed rights, and has interrupted our worship services and Bible Study classes. Should we be concerned? Of course we are concerned when our health is threatened. But I believe there has been an overreaction when it comes to our God-ordained worship services. As concerned as we are because of this disease, I want to mention two other pandemics that I believe should occupy our thoughts and prayers.
First there is the pandemic of abortion. According to the abortion counters listed on the numberofabortions.com website, so far this year there have been 300,655 abortions in the United States and 14,112,900 abortions worldwide. I can’t verify this number but if it were only one abortion, it would still be an atrocity that we should be ashamed of and concerned about. I could not find any reliable information on the COVID-19 death count so far, but I know it doesn’t even begin to compare with the number of babies who have been murdered under sanction of law, and we don’t see updates by our mayors, governors, and president on a daily basis. Wonder why we don’t find this being discussed very much? It seems that this reveals a lot about our country and our world. I know God is not happy about it because Solomon lists “hands that shed innocent blood” among the things the Lord hates (Prov. 6:16-19).
Another pandemic that we are facing in this country and worldwide is the pandemic of sin. The world we live in can be described as immoral and sin-filled. The sin that caused Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed with fire from heaven is extremely present in our land. The TV shows promote it constantly; the newscasts promote it; Hollywood promotes it, and it is cast in our faces constantly. Instead of being sickened by it, it is presented as glamorous, and those who oppose it on scriptural reasons are bullied, threatened, and ridiculed constantly.
The question has been asked often “Is God trying to tell us something?” He just may be doing that. He has acted in that way before. Do we want our world to be better? Is there anything we can do to help? I believe God gave Solomon the answer in II Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” God gives us the answer for healing our land. As God’s people, let us lead in doing what we can to turn this nation back toward God.
Paul M. Wilmoth