Why are there even viruses anyway? I’ll bet my son isn’t the only one asking this question right now. Why does God let there be things like sickness and death, disruption and disappointment? That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.
I think we can look back to a time when things were the way they were intended for an answer. Adam and Eve lived in complete harmony with the created world and with the Creator. But when they fell for Satan’s lies, they shattered the perfect world that was. It was a break so profound, so powerful, it fractured all of creation, right down to the DNA. This isn’t a scientific explanation, but a spiritual one. We live in a world gone wrong. “Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse” (Romans 8:20).
Why are there viruses? Because the world is broken.
Why does God allow viruses to continue to wreak havoc, for trouble to have a field day? Because He is patient. Because He is kind. Because there are people He loves who have yet to recognize their need for Him (2 Peter 3:9).
God could have pulled the plug long ago. Think of the horrors of the plague, of wars, the countless earlier times when people He loved asked similar questions – God, how can you let these things happen? Think of the trouble and heartbreak He allowed others to endure because He was waiting for you. That is how precious you are to Him.
So what does it mean if we’re stuck at home, faced with trouble, uncertain about the future? What if we get the virus or cancer or some other sickness? Does it mean that God has forgotten us? Absolutely not! (Romans 8:35-37) What has caught us off guard has always been known to Him and is not beyond His power or control. His plans for your life already took this into account, and He still said in the final judgment it is good (Jeremiah 29:11).
O weary soul, God is good and He can be trusted with your life. May you find rest and peace in knowing that He is working all of THIS into the kind of good only He can do. It will be glorious.
I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8