“Yet even now—oracle of the Lord—return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment.” (Joel 2:12-13)
News flash: Human beings do not have answers to everything. There is so much we don’t know or understand. Sure, our collective knowledge has grown immensely over the last 10, 20, 50, 100 years. But in the end, there is much that we cannot explain let alone fix.
I certainly have no idea how the current crisis is going to be solved. I know there are people working feverishly to find a cure, to care for the sick, and to prevent further suffering. I am thankful for every single person working on the front lines of the fight against this virus. They are vital.
The rest of us have an even more important role to play. Keeping our hands clean, self-quarantining when symptoms appear, and minimizing travel are important. However, we have another job or two that are extremely necessary.
Pray. Fast and pray.
Jesus himself gave us these instructions in the Gospel. In Mark, chapter 9, a man brings his possessed son to Jesus, looking for help. It seems the disciples were not able to drive out the demon from this boy. The father pleaded with our Lord:
“…But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can! Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22-24)
Of course, Jesus proceeded to cure the boy and this caused the disciples to rightfully wonder why they couldn’t perform the same work:
When he [Jesus] entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer [and fasting].” (Mark 9:28-29)
The NRSV Bible says that the “and fasting” portion of Mark 9:29 is included in some variant reading. The purpose of my blog is not to discuss versions of the Bible or the merits of fasting. I firmly believe, when the entire Bible is consulted, that the Lord “appreciates” and “desires” personal sacrifice in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world.
The Lord alone has the answer. He will be working through the scientists, doctors, and nurses to bring about comfort and healing as well as a cure. For the rest of us, we have two things do: Pray and fast.
Absolutely, we must also listen to the voice of the Lord in our daily lives. He will tell us what to do if we just listen. We can’t hear the voice of God through the newscasts. We can’t hear Him when we are reading or looking at social media. We can only hear him, like Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-12), in the “light silent sound” of our hearts.
Prayer and fasting. The time is now.
