When the entire planet is wrestling with the Coronavirus, what, pray tell, is God doing?
We are all in the middle of trying to avoid getting the Coronavirus. We know such occasional viruses and pandemics are part of being human. We humans are amazingly agile and fragile. As to God’s part in all this, I am convinced that such a virus is not the will of God. God does not send a virus to kill people as part of God’s mysterious plan. So, no need to blame God for this outbreak.
But, let’s not be too easy on God. Assuming there is a God, this God created a world where viruses are part of life. They come and they go hurting and sometimes killing hundreds and thousands of people. But they too are part of God’s “good” world. And I say again, we ought not absolve God too easily of some responsibility for their existence. From earthquakes to tornadoes to hurricanes, to monsoons, to Tsunamis, to volcanos, to cancers of all sorts, to diseases upon diseases, to viruses upon viruses. So rumbles nature from day to day without a conscience, going on and on and on churning away in its wild unruly manner.
Perhaps as has been suggested, we need to forgive God for creating such a dangerous chaotic world. That sounds right to me. Much better than assuming everything that happens is the will of God. How absurd!
What do I think God is doing in our present virus? I certainly do not know. But I presume, if our religious traditions are right, God is at work with us as a partner in the universe doing what can be done to minimize the effects of nature. As in the Biblical texts God is wrestling with nature to create order. Is it enough? No. It is insufficient. God is not in control of nature. And such is the precarious nature of life on our planet.
If we are going to trust in a benevolent deity, that’s fine but let’s be honest about our dilemma. When the chaos of nature rears its head as it too often does, we are and will be forced time and again, to trust without knowing for sure.
Are any of these words helpful? Probably not but we say what we can say and do what we can do. Such is the nature of intelligent religious faith. And the fact is nature can be startingly creative and monstrously destructive.
I wish us all well as we walk through this present calamity and trust against trust, we are not walking through it alone.
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