Quick Note – Isaiah 22:8-11 – Time to Repent

Isaiah 22:8-11 – He has taken away the covering of Judah.  In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many.  You collected the waters of the lower pool, and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.  You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool.  But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago. 

We have been dealing with the coronavirus, COVID-19, for over a year now.  Although things seem to have improved from when it first started rearing its ugly head in early December 2019, we are still dealing with its ramifications.  People are still contracting the virus.  Some countries are still having intermittent lockdowns, and many people continue to have to wear masks.  Even here where I live, Los Angeles, the mask mandate has been reinstated due to rising positive COVID cases.  Society has tried its best to combat this virus through the wearing of masks, social distancing, and vaccination, but it seems to just come back stronger and stronger.  There are preliminary studies that seem to show that even vaccinated individuals can catch the newest variant of COVID-19, the Delta variant.  And because of this, many people have just decided that it will continue to be here forever and to just live their lives the best they can under these circumstances.  Nothing that we do seems to work. 

But I have noticed that one thing has not been tried, one important thing has been ignored by most people – prayer and repentance to God.  Now, before anybody crucifies me for “ignoring the science,” I myself am a scientist, working towards a Ph.D. in pharmacology.  I believe in the use of vaccines.  I believe in the use of masks and the importance of social distancing.  I in no way am against any of these things and highly recommend them.  But what I have noticed is that we have focused only on these physical things.  We have tried everything we as human beings can do to fix this problem but have not once turned towards God.  Rather than trusting the One true God, who can heal all diseases, we have placed our faith on the things of this earth.  We are acting just like the people of Israel in our passage today. 

In Isaiah 22, God reprimands the people of Israel for placing their trust in their own strength rather than on Him, when they are besieged by opposing forces.  Jerusalem was on the verge of being conquered by opposing forces, but instead of turning to God, the Israelites tried to do practical things to defend themselves.  They rebuilt their walls.  They prepared water for a siege.  They amassed weapons.  But what they failed to do was turn to God in repentance.  God had sent these conquerors as a punishment for their sins and wanted them to turn back to Him, but instead, they continued to revel in their sin.  Verses 12-14 describe what would happen because of this choice, “In that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth; and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine.  ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’  The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: ‘Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,’ says the Lord God of hosts.”  Israel failed to repent.  Rather than simply trusting in humankind and science, we need to place our faith in God.  I am in no place to say that God sent the coronavirus to punish the world.  I am not God and would not presume to make those claims.  But what I can say is that this world seems to become more and more wicked each and every year.  Things that were considered good and have now been considered evil and intolerant.  Things that were considered evil are now considered good.  Mankind seeks to lift himself up on a pedestal rather than worship the one true God.  It is about time that we repent.  It is about time to turn to Him who planned this long ago.  Let us turn our eyes toward God. 

Everything according to God’s Purpose – Proverbs 16:4

Proverbs 16:4 – “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”

Many people are currently asking, “Why God would allow this COVID-19 coronavirus to wreak havoc on the world today?”  Millions of people have been infected by the virus, and hundreds of thousands of people have died.  Livelihoods have been destroyed, retirement funds eliminated, and businesses bankrupt.  The world has changed within the past five months of this pandemic first rearing its ugly head.  So the question is “Why?  Why would God even allow this to happen?”

I am not a world-renown scientist (although I am a graduate student in biological sciences) who can tell you the biological reasons why this occurred.  I am not an epidemiologist, who can explain to you why the social interactions that people have led to the spread of the virus.  And I am definitely not a theologian or an apologist, who can explain and defend why God allowed this to happen.  But what I am is a disciple of Christ, who read this verse in my devotions today and wanted to share it with you all.

Proverbs 16:4 states, “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”  I bolded and underlined these words, because they are key important phrases in this simple proverb that might get overlooked.  “The Lord” reminds us that the Person who ultimately is in control is God.  “Everything” tells us that nothing is out of God’s purview and control.  “Its purpose” lets us know that all things happen according to the plan that God has set out for it.  “Even the wicked” reveals to us that not only does God have a purpose for the good that happens but also the wicked and evil.  Although God hates sin and would have loved for man never to fall, He allowed us to have free choice, and we chose to sin.  Because of that choice, sin and wickedness and evil came into this world, of which, we are living with the consequences.  However, even these horrible things can be used by God to accomplish His overall purpose.  He is ultimately in control.

You may have expected to a receive a clear-cut answer from me as to “Why God allowed this coronavirus to create a pandemic?” but I cannot give that to you.  I am not God and will not presume to answer for Him.  All I can do is encourage you to trust that He knows what He is doing, and all this will work out for and according to His purpose.  We can trust that God will do what is best!

To close out, I just wanted to share a memory of mine from almost six years ago that is a good illustration that even though we don’t know why God allows something to happen, it works out according to His will.  Six years ago, I took a cruise to see Greece and Israel.  It was an exciting time where I got to visit all the places I read about in the Bible.  The unfortunate thing was that I was stuck on a cruise ship where the average age was sixty years old or above.  It wasn’t that much fun, being in my early twenties without many people to interact with.  Surprisingly, one day I spoke with one of the crew members, who was about my age that was greeting guests outside the door of the theatre on the ship.  That short conversation went from a few minutes to hours to eventually midnight with a follow-up conversation on a future day.  We talked about everything from Pixar animated shorts to the best comic book heroes to our dreams and aspirations to our faith and even to our blogs.  To me it was a great time meeting, talking with someone, and making a new friend, but I didn’t know that those conversations were being used by God.  When I returned home and looked up my friend’s blog, I discovered a post speaking about how those conversations helped bring encouragement at a time when it was needed most.  God had taken a conversation and used it for His purpose, unbeknownst to me.

So with that, I just want to remind you that God has a purpose for everything – whether it be this virus, your job, your situation, and most importantly yourself.  Trust that He will work everything according to His will!  And for those who love God, all things will work together for good! (Romans 8:28)

What To Do in This Time of Unrest

I wasn’t planning on giving this sermon today, but yesterday evening, I saw my dad struggling to write the message that he was going to share with you today.  He seemed lost in his thoughts, depressed at what was going on in the world, and unsure of how to share what he was feeling with you all.  And even though I do not like to do things last minute, I thought, “Why don’t I try to help him out?  Why don’t I sit down and write my thoughts and see if anything coherent that resembles a sermon can be shared with you today?”  So unlike my usual style of preaching that starts with an attention-grabbing introduction, three key points, and a reminder conclusion, this may be more of a ramble on my thoughts about what is going on right now and how we can and should respond.  So please bear with me if my thoughts seem to stray.

We can all see right now the chaos that is happening in the world.  This isn’t something isolated to mainland China any longer, but almost every country seems to be dealing with the ramifications of this virus – COVID-19.  When I first heard about this novel coronavirus popping up in China, I was quite intrigued, because as a scientist I was witnessing how a pathogenic virus is transmitted in real time.  This was stuff that we would hear about in classes on public health and virology, but never had the chance to truly see it in action.  I wasn’t afraid or worried, because I figured that this would be taken care of without any issues in a few weeks.  How hard would it be to contain a public health emergency?  I do it every time I play one of my favorite board games Pandemic where you control a pandemic and find cures for deadly diseases.  Surely, it would be put under control fairly quickly.  But I was thinking with the naivety of a movie-goer who just watched Contagion.  There would be no hero here; the virus would just get out and spread.  Now, that it is right here in our country, in our state, in our city of Los Angeles, I can now understand the panic, the fear, and the uncertainty that this pandemic brings.  It isn’t something fun like a board game that can be contained and finished without any stakes if a loss occurred.  It wouldn’t be some blip in history.  It wasn’t going to be an interesting scientific phenomenon.  It is now truly a pandemic of historical proportions like the Black Death in the 1300s or the Spanish Flu in 1918.  We are now living history.  We are watching person after person getting infected each and every day.  The numbers don’t drop but only continue to rise.  According to some epidemiologists, about 70% of the U.S. population will be infected with at least thousands of people dying from complications associated with this virus.  We have seen the stock market tank in the past couple of days, leading many whose retirement plans and 401Ks were invested there fade into nothing in an instant.  We have seen people raid grocery stores and Costco’s and truly act like animals to get some supplies in case of quarantine.  Even the President has declared this a national emergency.  And who knows how much worse this will get?  All this happened in just a week of hearing about the virus finally reaching our shores and spreading.  We have no clue what will happen in the next few days or weeks.  It’s all in fluctuation.

I am not sharing this reality with you to scare you, because I myself am avoiding the grocery stores lest I see it and this whole situation becomes real to me.  I am just asking you to consider the times we are living in right now.  It is a time filled with a lot of fear, a lot of panic, and a lot of uncertainty.  So what can we cling to during this time?  Do we just ignore the situation and pretend that nothing is wrong as some have done?  Do we pack our homes with toilet paper, water bottles, and hand sanitizer and place our trust in our survival skills?  Or do we turn to the only true Rock and steady place we have – our God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?  I would like to share some pieces of Scripture with you today to hopefully give you some security during these uncertain and shaky times.

Matthew 6:25-33 – “25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

During these uncertain times, a lot of people have begun to practice disaster preparedness.  I would say a lot of people are too late, and a lot of people are definitely overdoing it; but I do not fault them for wanting to be prepared.  In each country, as the COVID+ cases increased, communities flocked to the grocery store to get what they valued the most.  In China, it was rice.  Some people joked that in Korea, it was Kimchi.  In America, it was definitely toilet paper and water bottles (maybe that should tell you a little something about our society).  Nonetheless, they were preparing for the worse.  Now, grocery shelves are empty with everything including the undesired canned foods gone and stored, in case, a family needs to be quarantined for the next two weeks.  It’s smart thinking, and I applaud it.  But I want to remind everyone here that we need not worry.  God doesn’t tell us not to prepare, but He does tell us not to worry.  God will provide for each and every one of us, just as He did with the people of Israel in the wilderness thousands of years ago.  This passage in Matthew tells us to focus on what truly matters – our relationship with God.  During this time, we must seek God and His righteousness, not worry about the lack of toilet paper or the lack of water bottles.  God will provide for His children.  He has done it many times before, and He is a faithful God who will continue to do so today.  God provides for the birds of the air, which are not hoarding food.  He clothes the grass of the field still.  And He will continue to watch over His children.  So don’t worry, place your faith and trust in Him.

We must also think about this in a deeper way.  At this time, many people are hoarding their own supplies and not wanting to share it, lest it runs out.  But we as children of God must be willing to share and provide the many blessings God has given us with others.  That doesn’t mean we become door mats and not conserve, but it does mean that we should be willing to share with those in need.  We have a unique opportunity right now to help our neighbors – to help provide for a need when it arises.  Some of us were wise enough to store two sets of toilet paper, maybe we can make due with one or two less rolls for a person who didn’t get the chance to grab some.  It hasn’t come to the time yet for us to worry that there is no food for others to eat, but if it comes time, then maybe we can share some extra rice we may have or some snacks.  These little things show God’s grace, love, and mercy to the world in ways that are not normal for human society.  This reminds me of a story I heard recently on a podcast about businesses.  I heard that William Hershey who was a very rich man when the Great Depression hit, wasn’t worried about his fortune disappearing or his profits being lost.  He was concerned with the town he built in Pennsylvania, about the workers there, and he did everything he could to ensure that that town would survive the crisis.  I don’t know if he was a man of God, but he certainly sounded like one.

At this time when we can’t help but worry about what will happen next, we can turn to our God knowing that He is and will always be faithful.

2 Timothy 4:18 – The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom.  To him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.

This was a passage I shared with my dad a few days ago, when the stock market tanked.  I didn’t really explain to him why I sent it, but I guess, I have the opportunity to let him know now.  Although this pandemic and the circumstances that have ensued due to the panic do not seem like an evil deed being inflicted on us, I would beg to differ in that opinion.  These are awful horrible things that are happening to each and every one of us right now.  And if it is true that our enemies are not flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of evil as Ephesians says, then some part of this is caused by the Devil and his minions.  They are striking at us and seeking to discourage and break us down.  He is trying to root out the faith that is in every Christian heart and to push those who do not know God away from God.  But we can be reminded here that God will rescue us from every single evil deed that is done to us.  He will do everything in His power to keep us safe and bring us safely into His heavenly kingdom.  God always watches over His children.  This is why David can say in Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”  In this passage, Paul was dealing with actual physical persecution for His faith in Christ, and he boldly proclaimed that God would rescue him from those evil deeds.  Although we are facing a spiritual enemy, we can trust that God will rescue us just as He did Paul.  He is our Protector, our Shield, our Rock, our Fortress.  In times of trouble, we must only stand and see the deliverance of our Lord.  So let us not fear all the troubles that surround us, but rather, place our faith in Him who promises to bring us safely into His heavenly kingdom.

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Many people are asking right now why this is occurring.  Why did God allow this all to happen?  And I can’t tell you why.  I have no answer for that.  But what I can tell you is what we should be doing about it.  The President declared today as a National Day of Prayer.  Although I would doubt that he is much of a religious person, he recognizes the important need for us to turn to God right now.  I come from a science background and the people I work with would likely mock me for saying this, because to them, this can all be dealt with by science.  I think just the other day, I heard one of them mentioning what’s the use in prayer here; this is science, and they should be thinking of a scientific way to deal with it not just pray.  Now, I am in an agreement that we can use science to help us discover a cure and to help curtail infections and to treat people who are infected, but what we truly need is a revival of hearts.  Although this passage in 2 Chronicles was in reference to the people of Israel praying towards the temple when they have sinned and God has punished them, I think this promise will hold true for us today.  Our world has become a disgusting, decrepit, and wicked place, where right is now considered wrong for the sake of political correctness, and wrong is considered right and is called equality.  Men and women seek their own happiness above commitment and ease and simplicity instead of life.  This is a wake-up call for all of us to turn back to God.  And today being declared a National Day of Prayer is appropriate for us to turn back to Him.  This passage tells us that if we will humble ourselves before God, if we will pray and seek His face, if we will turn from our wicked ways, God will hear and forgive and heal our land.  That is what we need right now – healing of this land.  Healing from this COVID-19 virus, healing from our wicked hearts, healing from fear and uncertainty.  I am not saying it will come in some magical miracle, where all the virus disappears in an instant, although I do not doubt that God can do that; but I do believe that our God is a merciful, loving, and forgiving God, and He will extend His mercy and grace to us if we will but turn to Him.  He has already been merciful enough to not have the death rate of this virus be too high.  He has already been merciful enough in that He has not allowed it to spread even faster than it already has.  He has already been merciful enough that it doesn’t affect children as badly.  But He will extend even more mercy and grace if we turn to Him.

We need to get right with God.  For those who do not know Him, this is the opportune time to do it.  We are not promised tomorrow, and this pandemic has shown you that nothing can be predicted; so you must be ready at any moment for His return or in the unfortunate case, your death.  So repent from your sin and place your faith and trust in Him.  If you don’t know what that means here it is simply:  Admit that you are a sinner and have a need for Jesus Christ in your life, Believe that He has saved you from the penalty of sin which is death when He died on the cross for you, and Confess Him as Lord and Savior of your life, giving Him your life.

For those of us who are Christians, who have turned towards the world, we must repent and return to Him.  We must take our eyes of the things of this earth and place them back on our Lord Jesus Christ.  We have fallen so far away and need to renew our love and passion for Him.  We need to live as lights in this world encouraging others to seek our Lord and Savior.

I encourage each and every one of you right now to come before Him in prayer to seek Him at this time.  Let us seek Him today.  Let us go to Him in prayer.  Let us call on our God.