Lord, we need You!

Bob Russell April 19, 2020

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In his book, Between Two Worlds, John Stott suggests it’s the preacher’s job to build a bridge between the biblical world and the modern world. So, let’s do a brief Old Testament Bible study and note how it relates to the Coronavirus crises of our day. Deuteronomy 6 records Moses’ final message to the Israelites before he climbed Mount Nebo and died.

The excited, youthful Israelites are about to enter the promised land. God is going to give their army a series of dramatic victories. But Moses cautions them against potential arrogance and ingratitude afterward. He advised them that when they conquer Canaan, they’re going to live in houses they did not build, drink from wells they did not dig, and harvest crops they did not plant. 

“…then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the Lord your God, and serve him only….” (Deuteronomy 6:11-13).

Then Moses delivered this ominous warning: “Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord, your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land” (Deuteronomy 6:14-15).

Like a coach drilling his team against overconfidence, Moses repeats the same warning in Deuteronomy 8:19, “If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.”

God’s message was crystal clear: “Serve me and be blessed; rebel against me and eventually be cursed.” If you are familiar with Israelite history, you know that several generations later, God’s people became forgetful, ungrateful, prideful, self-indulgent, rebellious and immoral. And eventually, God’s warnings came true. Israel was conquered and the people scattered over the four corners of the earth.

The bridge to today is easy to construct because the same pattern of defiant behavior can be traced in America. Most of our forefathers who began this country humbly requested God’s favor. They desperately needed Him! Soon the USA became the freest, most prosperous, most opportunistic, most envied nation in the world. 

But over time, we became forgetful and prideful. In our intellectual snobbery, we concluded we don’t need God or His repressive commands anymore. We thumbed our noses at divine creation, the sanctity of life, the sacredness of marriage, the holiness of God’s name and the necessity of justice, mercy and faith.   

Having rejected the one true God, we now worship a plethora of false gods that allow for unbridled self-indulgence. Like the Israelites in Canaan, we imagine each person is free to determine what is right in their own eyes and are scattered like sheep without a shepherd.

But God is so merciful. Almost always, before delivering a catastrophic judgment, He sends advance warnings. Prior to the flood, He warned the rebellious world of impending judgment through the preaching of Noah. 

He warned the immoral city of Sodom through two angels who visited the night before fire and brimstone destroyed them in seconds. 

He alerted wayward Israel repeatedly through the prophets as well as through famines and plagues. The Bible says that God desires that no one perishes but that all come to repentance.

I wonder if the Coronavirus isn’t a stern advance warning, like a blaring tornado siren, signaling imminent danger if we don’t take protective action. 

In the last 20 years, we’ve witnessed the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, destructive wildfires, devastating floods and unprecedented political chaos. Now our nation is dramatically, suddenly shut down because of a contagious plague. What more would God need to do to get our attention?

Consider our situation from a spiritual perspective:

• We worship money, and the booming economy comes grinding to a halt.

• We worship sports, and the biggest games are canceled.

• We worship entertainment and parades along with concerts are postponed, bars and restaurants closed, and the party life shut down.

• We worship science, and the leading medical experts disagree as to the proper course of action to counter the pandemic.

• We worship our impressive churches, and now even our church buildings sit empty on Sunday morning.

Americans are perplexed, insecure, fearful and panicky.

Is this mysterious period a mere freak of nature? Or is Almighty God warning us—begging us to turn to Him for life that is truly life? Is He pleading, not just with America, but with the whole world to become contrite and worship and serve Him only?

Second Chronicles 7:14 reads, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Notice the very first step to spiritual renewal is humility. The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). God never saves a strutter. God doesn’t bless an arrogant nation either. Perhaps God is forcing us to humbly admit our helplessness and plead for His forgiveness and renewed favor.

During this anxious time, while many of us are sequestered in our homes, let’s fall to our knees every morning and earnestly pray:

Lord, we come humbly before you admitting that without You we are nothing. We are helpless, lost souls, destined for judgment. Heavenly Father, forgive our ingratitude, arrogance, and rebellious spirit. Wash us clean by the blood of Jesus, your Son. Help us to worship You only and obey Your commands, which are not burdensome. Embolden us to stand for your truth regardless of the world’s ridicule. We know we don’t deserve Your grace, but Lord, we plead with You to “forgive our sin and heal our land.”

Photo source: istock 

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Bob Russell became the pastor of Southeast Christian Church at just 22 years old. That small congregation of 120 members became one of the largest churches in America, with 18,000 people attending the four worship services every weekend in 2006 when Bob retired. Now through Bob Russell Ministries, Bob continues to preach at churches; conferences throughout the United States, provide guidance for church leadership, mentor other ministers and author Bible study videos for use in small groups. Learn More »

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