Crying out to God

Why aren't we crying out to the LORD for deliverance?
     Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that no one is crying out to God during this COVID–19 pandemic. I know there are those who are. However, as I browse the internet and observe social media, I feel as if there is little calling to God to END this pandemic. I know Pope Francis recently made such a petition and others likely have as well, but most of what I see in Christian circles are resources on how to adjust our ministry during this pandemic. Calls to pray involve prayer for the sick, families, medical staff dealing with the situation, and wisdom for leaders. Those prayers are certainly important and needed, but there seems to be this resignation that the pandemic exists, will spread, and we have to trust our human efforts to deal with it. I don’t see the urgent cry among the church for God to intervene and end it immediately as only He can.
     Certainly, God may be using this pandemic to get people’s attention. But tragically, we don’t see people truly looking to Him for help right now. At least it doesn’t appear that way. Instead we see people looking to the latest guidance from government agencies, medical professionals, and methods such as social distancing. I’m not against any of those entities, but that's not where we should put our trust. The reality is there is no cure for this virus and though most will naturally fight it off, a significant number may die from it.
     Look at what God says in Jeremiah 17:5-6, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.’” (ESV)
     God doesn’t want us to trust in mere humans. The fact is, He is the only One that can end this pandemic and, if He chose, He could end it immediately. God could instantly destroy every coronavirus on the planet while all the collective power of the human race couldn’t do that. I'm not saying to ignore guidance given by the CDC or other human institutions. Certainly God gives wisdom to people. But that should never be our ultimate trust.
     So back to my question, “Why aren’t we crying out to the LORD for deliverance?” Could it be that God wants us to do just that in the midst of this crisis? Could it be that He wants us to turn and trust in Him who alone can deliver us rather than ourselves?
     Listen to the words of David in Psalm 20 verse 1, “1May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! And then David starts to bring the Psalm to an end in verse 7 by saying, “7Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
     I want to encourage and even challenge you and Christians everywhere to cry out to God for deliverance from this pandemic. Pray that God would be glorified and bring it to an end quickly. We certainly should still pray for those that are ill and medical staff. We should pray that people would turn to God in this midst of this trial. But also pray that God would deliver us and quickly bring this to end. Only God can truly end this. Earnestly pray, even consider fasting, that God would do this out of His great mercy and be glorified through it.

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