Revival: The Eucatastrophe of COVID-19

Here we stand on the brink of eucatastrophe. Such a word, coined by J.R.R. Tolkien, conveys the idea of goodness and blessing arriving out of badness and brokenness.

Amid the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), a multitude of emotions can be felt and seen as sports events, concerts, and schools close down at the direction of the CDC, WHO, and the U.S. government. Fear, depression, and angst flood the thoughts of college students as they are forced to depart from friends and graduates they may never see again. Men and women seek to find an anchor in all the chaos. The sick and dying seek for help from their infirmities.

I ask you, how will we as the Church respond?

For years, generations of Christians have prayed for revival and unity in our church, for souls to be won, for the Word of God to prevail over the hearts of men. Yet could it be, that God’s answer could come through the chaotic moments of virus, war, and political dissension? Does not the word revival (live again) mean that death must come first? That we must come to an end of ourselves?

Truly, death came to all men in sin. Death is coming to many men in sickness. And death continues to come in sorrow, anxiety, depression, and fear. Like the children of Israel returning from exile, we come to the end of ourselves at this moment, lost in a world of unknowns.

Yet we have the truth, brethren, the Truth that sets men free from all sin, anxiety, and fear. The Truth who died on a cross, bearing our sorrows and our grief in His body. Jesus Christ- that’s His name! And in His name and by His resurrection, we have peace in the midst of all fear.

Let us not waste the opportunity that lies before us. While hearts are tender and spirits willing, do not waste the possibility of revival.

You waste the opportunity of revival by callously accusing people of hysteria, comparing discouraging mortality numbers, yet without pointing them to the Comforter.

You waste the opportunity of revival by not noticing that college-age Christians are persevering through one of the most defining moments for their generation and are becoming more unified in the face of adversity.

You waste the opportunity of revival by not setting aside political differences, lifting your eyes, and looking at the harvest which is plentiful and ready for the taking.

Listen! See! Lift up your eyes and look, oh Church, at the possibility of revival! Put your ear to the ground of the mountain, and listen for the roaring wind of the Spirit of God. We stand on the verge of something momentous, grand, and glorious.

But first, I plead with you. Look at your own soul. I ask you, who is your god? For some, their god is a stable rich economy. For others, their god is receiving their diploma at the end of May. Many worship a life that stays the same. Yet, we understand that because of God’s will and for God’s glory, our lives may never well be the same. Through trials, including COVID-19, God teaches us that our lives and everything around us are not about our comfort, our political opinions, or our abilities. Everything is all about Him.

For He reigns as King and His kingdom is coming.