Today was to be the end of the 15-day presidential order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Instead, yesterday afternoon he extended the extreme mitigation efforts for another 30 days until April 30th. In his news conference yesterday, he and other officials shared good news. However, they also suggested the death toll could mount to upwards of 100,000 people. Neighbors. Friends. Fellow Americans. Dads. Moms. Uncles. Aunts. Granddads. Grandmas. Brothers. Sisters. Children. Boys. Girls. Teenagers. Senior Adults.
No doubt, this is sobering news. The extreme mitigation requirements are sobering enough; however, the possibility of so many people dying shutters our souls.
For this reason, I want to encourage you with one simple thought today: God’s grace is sufficient for each one of us.
God’s Grace Is Up to This Challenge
Paul knew that at times we would struggle with our desires as we go through perilous circumstances. It is in the midst of these trials that Paul strongly encouraged us to look toward God and the grace He provides:
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
He makes two important points here that you do not want to miss.
Yes, Even the COVID-19 Coronavirus
When Paul writes that “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man,” his goal is to provide us perspective on how we see circumstances. The word temptation means pressure-filled circumstance. Some translations translate the term as trial. To write it in different words, “There is no pressure-filled situational difficulty that you will ever go through that is outside the category of common to humanity.” Yes, even this pandemic is common to mankind. That is helpful to know because God always handles these things similarly.
But God Is Faithful…
Notice what Paul says about God in the midst of “common to mankind” pressures: But God is faithful! God limits the power of the trial such that the trial can never overwhelm your soul. In the midst of the trial, God provides you the ability to get through it while remaining faithful to Him. You can bear it!
That’s important for your soul to hear – you can bear it!
How? By God’s grace. God faithfully acts the same toward us in every situational difficulty, trail, or pressured circumstance. He makes it possible for us to bear up under the pressure. God’s grace is sufficient to see us through this difficulty.
Again, today as you face the news of 30 more days of extreme mitigation efforts, God’s grace is sufficient.
As you face the grim reality of upwards to 100,000 Americans dying, God’s grace is sufficient.
As you seek to work, make meals, handle your responsibilities, manage your emotions, and go about your day, God’s grace is sufficient.
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