Will God Heal Me From COVID-19?

Today, I feel a little worse. Overall, still mild. But today is the first day that breathing was a little difficult. Coughing is a little worse. More people around me are getting positive results from their COVID-19 tests. Many symptoms are mild, but that doesnâ€™t mean weâ€™re out of the woods yet. One with mild symptoms can spread the disease to another who may have serious conditions, and many lives could be affected and have to go through a quarantine period. That alone is enough reason to take precautions. Please, get your medical information from peer-reviewed doctors and scientists and not from memes and gossip. I was careful to not spreadâ€¦ but many lives are STILL now entirely on hold, quarantining or sick. This matters.

A Bible Example

In the Book of Daniel, the Bible tells a story of a king in Babylon named Nebuchadnezzar. His friends called him Nebbie (not really, but I donâ€™t want to keep checking the spelling of â€œNebuchadnezzarâ€ so just go with me on this).

King Nebbie made a statue of himself and issued a law that everyone had to worship the image he had made – lest they be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Three Jews who lived in Babylon had a big problem with that, obviously. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the image. King Nebbie summoned them and gave them another chance to worship his image and made clear their incendiary alternative.

I absolutely love the three amigosâ€™ response: â€œIf we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majestyâ€™s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.â€

The rest of the story is irrelevant to my point, but Iâ€™ll share it anyway – they were thrown into the blazing furnace, Jesus protected them and they survived â€” unharmed, and King Nebbie declared the greatness of the one True God.

I love their steadfastness with their faith. I want to share that same passion.

God Can Heal Me, But Whether or Not He Does is Irrelevant.

I think about this story when Iâ€™m in a hard time.

Can God heal me? Can He just blink and my lungs be free and my body be â€˜Rona-less? Can He wave his hand and remove all your cancer? Can He resolve that genetic condition with a twitch of His nose? Of course He can!

But whether or not He does is entirely irrelevant to my devotion to Him.

If my parents had given me a curfew I thought was unfair, I wouldnâ€™t have disowned them. If my wife didnâ€™t make me a sandwich, I wouldnâ€™t get a divorce. (That reminds me, honey, if youâ€™re reading this, Iâ€™d like a slice of provolone cheese next time). Thatâ€™s just being a faithful son and a faithful husband!

So why would a hard time . . .

. . . like COVID-19

(. . . or like losing your job)

(. . . or a relationship struggle)

. . . have any bearing upon my status as a son of a King? Heâ€™s still my God, my King, and my Father, in the good times and in the hard ones. Iâ€™ll remain faithful. Watch me.Â

I hope to see you tomorrow morning at 9:30 or 11 a.m. for church online!