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. — 2 Chronicles 7:14

Reading: 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

Reflection: 

The Westminster Confession of Faith declares God’s providence: God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy (5.1).

We are all familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, but those words take on a radically different meaning in the full context of the complete sentence, beginning in the previous verse: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people . . . ” Verse 13 recognizes God as the one who causes the drought, commands the swarm of locusts, and sends the pestilence. Verse 13 speaks of God’s providence.

In the midst of our current pestilence, the coronavirus, we should reflect on these two verses. Why would God send or allow this disease to impact the whole world? There are at least four answers:

1. We live in a fallen world. The curse of Genesis 3 includes death and all the ailments that lead to death, including the coronavirus, which has claimed over 330,000 lives worldwide as of May 21.
   
   
2. Healing, even through the use of medicine, gives glory to God. Consider the healing of the blind man in John 9. As of May 21, the number of coronavirus patients who have recovered worldwide is 1.9 million, and we would hope many would ascribe to our glorious God the gift of their healing.
   
   
3. God disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness (Hebrews 12:10). His method of discipline could include sickness and even this virus.
    
4. The purpose of the pestilence is to cause his people to humble themselves, and pray and seek [his] face. In the second commandment, God is clear about any idols that people seek instead of him for their identity, their pleasure, their hope, their worship. God says in Exodus 20:5, “I the Lordyour God am a jealous God.” Our jealous God has used this virus to shut down 21st century idols for hundreds of millions of us.

Response:

Let us use 2 Chronicles 7:14 to guide us in our response with the expectation that God will surely hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal our land:

1. Humble yourself. Remember that God desires a contrite heart. For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15).
    
2. Seek God’s face. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple (Psalm 27:4).
    
3. Pray. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).