Covid-19: The Gideon Mandate

Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The LORD brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” (Jdg 6:13)

Gideon's outburst betrayed anguish, bitterness, and distrust on account of the national disaster that had befallen Israel. Perhaps, some of us are beginning to wonder like Gideon, even without verbalizing it, why the situation seems to be worsening. We are mystified by feelings of abandonment and uncertainty. And distrust seems to be sprouting in our hearts. Distrust in God in times of crisis is a human phenomenon.

During the bubonic plague of the 1300s, otherwise called the black death, which reportedly ravaged over 70 million lives, distrust in God and the church also grew, as people realized that religion could do nothing to stop the spread of the disease and their family's suffering. So many priests died, too, that church services in many areas simply ceased.

Today, with the benefit of communication technology, we can still hold online services and access faith boosting messages that give us hope and courage. The spread and devastation of the black death exacerbated because they had no intel on how to manage the disease. Not only are we blessed with information technology breakthroughs, but also with medical breakthroughs that give our generation an edge in surviving the pandemic. In science, we see divine providence at work as God orchestrates culture through human invention to preserve creation.

We should, therefore, not be like Gideon in our reflection, and lose sight of the God who is ever-present in times of trouble (Ps 46:1).

God's response to Gideon was a game-changer, "Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you." (v. 13). It was like, "Hey man, enough of focusing on the problem. That's why you are here. That's why you've still got some agitation in you. Don't waste your energy dissecting the issue. Rise up to the rescue! Channel your energy into bringing about a solution. I've appointed you this minute. You are my Rescue Agent. Go and save your world!"

Like Gideon, God may just be speaking to us through the agitations of our hearts. We may just be God's solution agents to rescue the world at such a time as this.