God-Sightings During Shutdown

Where Is God in a Coronavirus World? That’s the title of a small, just-published book by John C. Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford. In a time when all of us have seen our lives upended, Lennox raises a timely question.

Where is God during this shutdown? Those without faith can throw the question at Christians. We who follow Christ may not know exactly how to respond. Even on our own, some of us may inwardly wonder how God fits into a world of face masks and social distancing.

Sighting Whales

I live in the State of Washington near Puget Sound. Whale-watching is a popular activity here in our area. Best time to spot minke, humpback and orcas: from May to October. Gray whales head north in March and April. We even have a whale-sighting network. One dictionary defines “sighting” as, “an occasion on which something is seen, especially something rare or something that people are hoping to see.”

What kind of God-sightings are taking place during this COVID-19 shutdown? Even though we can’t physically “see” God, he does ask us to look for him. As he told the ancient Israelites, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). Might we be missing glimpses of God because he is showing up in ways that don’t fit our categories? As one whale-watching blogger puts it, “If you’ve never seen a whale before, it can be hard to know what to look for.”

Luther on Seeing Under the Surface

What should we God-watchers be looking for in these unprecedented days? It will help us, I think, to recall some words Martin Luther wrote in his “Exposition of Psalm 147.” He suggests that to see what God is doing, we should expect him to show up in disguise:

“God could easily give you grain and fruit without your plowing and planting. But He does not want to do so. . . . What else is all our work to God—whether in the fields, in the garden, in the city, in the house, in war, or in government—but just such a child’s performance, by which He wants to give His gifts in the fields, at home, and everywhere else? These are the masks of God, behind which He wants to remain concealed and do all things.”

In other words, Luther is saying, behind the “masks” of the work being done by ordinary human beings, God is actively meeting our needs. Yes, it’s painfully true: the pandemic has sidelined millions of workers, forcing them to rely on unemployment benefits. But in spite of that costly loss, God continues—through the work of countless others—to provide for us.

The Work Goes On . . .

On Tuesday, sitting in front of the computer in my office, I heard the clank-and-bang of the waste-collection trucks. One emptied our regular garbage tub with its food scraps and empty cans. A second took away the flattened cardboard boxes in our recycling bin. And a third hauled off the grass clippings and other yard debris. Can you imagine what would happen if all the rubbish in the world simply piled up and rotted in our neighborhoods week after week? All three of our garbage-truck drivers had human faces. Yet, there behind his masks, God was at work enabling life in our cul-de-sac to go on.

As I turned from my office window back to the computer, I experienced another God-sighting. In spite of the worldwide shutdown, the Dell desktop still hummed and the monitor stayed bright. How? By drawing on electrical current. Of course, that power doesn’t just automatically remain available on its own. It flows into my office thanks to the ongoing work of electrical engineers, power plant operators, power-line installers and repairers, and so on. Even as I type these words on my keyboard, I am aware that God is at work behind another set of his masks.

We have now been in lockdown mode for more than a month. Yet every time we turn on a tap at the sink, fill a bathtub, take a shower, or flush a toilet, we release a generous stream of water. Yes, after years of irrigating the lawn, washing clothes, and power-washing the driveway, it’s easy to take all that water for granted. Yet it would not continue to flow for us without the work of certified facility operator and repair people, sampling and treatment experts, government overseers, and those who process our payments—to say nothing about those whose work ensures that the wastewater gets carried safely away. Are you beginning to see God’s involvement again, just behind those disguises?

. . . and On and On

I could, of course, go on to talk about how we have continued sending and receiving letters all through this pandemic. Or how we have enjoyed uninterrupted access to groceries and gasoline. This supply continues only through the hard work of postal workers, farmers, truck drivers, checkout clerks, and so many others. Even those now dependent on unemployment checks are counting on the work of government employees. Midway through my writing of this blog, an eye-doctor—through the wonder of telemedicine—assessed my need for an in-person exam. Through his work, this physician was simply reflecting the work of the Great Physician.

A good friend of mine owns and operates a gear-manufacturing company in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Several days ago, I called him to see how he, his family, and his employees were doing during these trying days. “Are you sheltering in place,” I asked him. “Have you closed the shop down?” Much to my surprise, he told me a flood of orders were keeping him and his machinists busier than ever.

“How so?” I wanted to know. Well, he said, just about everything from food-processors to farm tractors to truck engines depends on gears to keep functioning. Moody Press has just published my friend Dave Hataj’s book, Good Work: How Blue Collar Business Can Change Lives, Communities, and the World. Seattle Pacific University’s Faith&Co recently produced a 10-minute video on what God is doing through this gear shop in Edgerton. To watch, click here.

No Virus Can Shut Down God’s Working

During what we call “normal” times, it’s easy for us Christians to get the impression that God works mainly on Sundays when we gather in church buildings. But in this pandemic, face-to-face church meetings—along with restaurants, barbershops, and schools—have been shut down. Perhaps during this pause, taking our cue from Martin Luther, we can rediscover that the “God of all the earth” (Is. 54:5) is still actively at work, even if doing so behind the scenes.

Where is God in a coronavirus world? Watch carefully and expectantly. Look under his masks—the everyday work being done by countless people made in his image. Get set for some unexpected God-sightings. And for giving thanks.