Why would God allow Covid-19? | GotQuestions.org

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Today's question is, why would God allow COVID -19? In this video

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I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

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Why would God allow COVID -19? The whole world seems to be asking this question—a fact that actually gives the biggest part of the answer.

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More on that shortly. COVID -19, or coronavirus disease, 2019, is a respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus.

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The effect of the illness can range from mild to severe. First identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, the virus quickly spread to other countries.

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On March 11, 2020, COVID -19 was declared a pandemic by the

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World Health Organization. Only a liar or a true prophet can claim to know God's reasons for bringing about COVID -19 or any other specific calamity.

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That's partly because God's purpose extends to every individual involved, from the beginning of time to the end of the world.

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Understanding every possible factor goes far beyond human ability, but God has within His complete knowledge and control every facet of every situation,

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Romans 8, verses 28 -30. The Bible reveals some insights about God's use of deadly disasters in general, but we must apply relevant

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Scripture and the principles of faith in order to gain wisdom about any specific disaster.

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As with any mystery, to solve it, we must go from the known to the unknown in our search.

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So we'll put the question of why God would allow COVID -19 into the context of what we already know from the

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Bible and from personal experience. We know that life is a gift from the

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Creator, Acts 17, verse 25. We know that God alone has the right and power to give life and take it away, according to His own wisdom and plans,

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Job 2, verse 10. We know that life is short and includes some degree of suffering, ending in death, and judgment for how we lived our lives.

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Only one life, no do -overs, Hebrews 9, verse 27. Short or long, our lifespan and date of death are set and controlled by God, Matthew 10, verse 29.

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Even the longest human lives are like a breath, their days are like a fleeting shadow,

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Psalm 144, verse 4. Moses described God's sovereignty over life and death, and this could have been written about today's

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COVID -19 pandemic. You turn people back to dust, saying, "'Return to dust, you mortals.'

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A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

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Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death. They are like the new grass of the morning.

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In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered." Psalm 90, verses 3–6.

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So what is God's purpose in allowing COVID -19? Without being too dogmatic, we know that, generally speaking, one of God's purposes in trials is to get the world's attention off themselves and onto Him, their

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Creator and Savior, which is the biggest part of the answer to the question at hand, why would

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God allow COVID -19? Millions are suddenly asking that question right now, believers and nonbelievers alike, which means that God is on their minds.

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God desires for all people to earnestly seek Him and find Him, discovering that He is actually close to us.

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Jeremiah 29, verse 13. God desires us to sense our own weakness and neediness so that we put our trust in Him.

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2 Corinthians 12, verse 9. God desires people to fear Him with proper reverence and awe.

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Proverbs 9, verse 10. To love Him more than their own lives. John 12, verse 25.

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And to show love and gratitude for the Savior by loving and helping fellow humans, especially the suffering.

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James 2, verses 14–17. God desires to shift our focus and affection away from this temporary, troubled world to our eternal, heavenly home.

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Colossians 3, verses 1–2. Times of trouble are a prime motivation for us to store up treasures in heaven, rather than clinging to the treasures on earth.

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Colossians 3, verses 1–3. And to be good stewards of those blessings God has given us in this life.

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Matthew 25, verses 14–30. God wants us to trust Him, absolutely, knowing that our times are in His hands.

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Psalm 31, verse 15. Ultimately, it is the poor and hurting who seek

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God, not the rich and comfortable. It is danger and calamity that turn men to their

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Savior, not health and wealth. See Mark 2, verse 17. It is suffering that wakens us to our true need.

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C .S. Lewis put it this way, God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.

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It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Life for all people means facing suffering, death, and their eternal destiny.

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Even if we develop immunity to COVID -19, we can't escape the fact of trouble in the world.

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What's best for us in any situation is to seek God. Blessed are those who keep

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His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. Psalm 119, verse 2.

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Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content.

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And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book I recommend, along with links to several related questions.

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If you'd like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you're interested in Bite -sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it's linked right here.