I wrote the following a few months after the coronavirus quarantine started in 2020.
Our present condition of isolation and quarantine will have an effect on our faith. While we are isolated from one another and unable to gather together, it does not mean that our faith should become stagnate or falter. God’s people have faced similar situations before. Faith is powerful, regardless of our circumstances. In fact, you might argue that the greater the challenge, the greater our faith can become.
Genesis 6 describes a situation that is arguably worse than what we face today. The earth was not filled with a virus, but with wickedness. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Grieved at the condition of his creation, God determined to destroy man from the face of the earth (v. 7).
Enter Noah. A just and blameless man. A man who walked with God, perhaps a statement that recognizes regular communion with God. Noah found favor in God’s sight, and as the sinful world was being destroyed, he and his family were carried to safety in the ark. The rain fell for forty days and night, but for approximately a year, Noah and his family were isolated inside the ark. One year in complete isolation (imagine it without TV or Wi-Fi!). When they finally emerged from the ark, they found a world that was markedly different. The wicked were gone - a rainbow marked God’s faithful promise.
When you think of Noah and his family isolated on the ark, be reminded of God’s faithfulness. He protected and provided for Noah and his family - he does the same for us today. In this time when we have been forced to take a break from our hectic pace, be appreciative of the need for communion with God. Take advantage of the opportunity to read the Bible and pray to God. Feed your faith and strengthen your soul so that when you emerge from this pause, you will do so with a more vibrant and robust faith.
Thomas Larkin