As I write this article, we see an extreme surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines. News just got out that more than 15,000 new infections have been recorded on April 2. Things seem to get worse every single day. Heck, these figures are even so much higher than when the pandemic started last year.

Going through this pandemic feels like an endless journey through a dark tunnel. Just when we thought things were already looking up—with the flattening of the curve and the availability of vaccines—this depressing resurgence seems to have dragged us back to square one or, perhaps, even to the negative. 

I’m writing this not just to speak hope to our situation but to help us better understand what’s going on in the world.

First, we must understand that the world we live in is broken, dying, and cursed.

The evidence is all around us: The world is broken and it does not seem to be getting any better. 

Every day in the news or on social media, we read about wars, economic recessions, deaths, climate change, and diseases. We hear stories of corruption, injustice, and violence. Cases of depression, anxiety, and suicide are at an all-time high. We see a growing evil in society resulting in deaths, broken people, and broken relationships.

How did we find ourselves in this situation?

Let me answer this question through a story:

Life in Chernobyl, Ukraine, was generally serene and peaceful before that fateful day in April 1986. The city was home to thousands of people who had families, jobs, dreams, and plans for their future. In the summer, children enjoyed running around on lush meadows, while the men went on fishing expeditions. The land was filled with music—the sound of children playing and the rustling of the trees as they danced with the wind. But all of these were gone in an instant. 

On April 26, 1986, the city’s nuclear power plant crashed, releasing deadly radioactive material into the air and prompting massive evacuation from the city. It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history. The radioactive contamination in the area has resulted in deaths, pollution, and severe damage to the environment, rendering the city a ghost town until today. 

Something like this happened in our history and had fatally impacted the world. When sin entered the world through the disobedience of the first human beings, something similar to a nuclear explosion happened—the ground was cursed and death became an inevitable reality. Diseases, plagues, and pandemics began to occur in the world. Not only that, but human beings have become insecure, envious, and selfish. The world has become a survival game where only the best, the fittest, and the strongest can survive.

You see, sin is not just a social construct or a religious invention. Life on earth before the Fall was perfect, peaceful, and serene. But when sin entered the picture, it corrupted the perfect world that God created—much like the radioactive material that destroyed Chernobyl or how cancer corrupts a healthy body.

Since then, the world has been groaning—crying out, wailing, and screaming in agony—like a woman at childbirth (Romans 8:22). We hear these groanings in the songs we listen to—songs of broken people who are longing for love, acceptance, and healing from past hurts. We see this agony in artworks, literature, movies, and pop culture, where people long for a superhero, a knight in shining armor, or a savior.

We experience the groanings of creation in natural calamities that tell us the world is sick and broken. Even nature is waiting to be set free from death and decay (Romans 8:21). COVID-19 is an effect of man’s sin, whether directly or indirectly. Human suffering is a result of sin and evil that reign in this broken world.

But there is hope! This is not the end. God will save, heal, and restore the world. The sufferings we experience now are nothing compared to the future glory that we will all witness and experience because God has promised to end all suffering (Romans 8:18).

Are you tired of all the suffering you see around you? Have you already experienced the pain of loss? Do you ever experience fear and anxiety? Pain, suffering, and death tell us that we are not made for this kind of world. These things are signposts to the world where we truly belong—a world with no violence, corruption, injustice, and grief.

Christians, this is the hope we received when we believed and surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ. Our salvation doesn’t just mean we have received eternal life; it means living for eternity in a perfect world ruled by Jesus Christ, the righteous King. 

Life in this broken world can be very depressing, frustrating, and disappointing. Diseases will claim millions. Natural disasters will destroy lives and livelihood. Leaders will always fall short in delivering justice and equity. 

So we fix our eyes on Jesus, the sovereign King. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. He rules over creation. Our hope lies beyond this world, where death and diseases have no power to destroy. Our Savior rules beyond this world, free from the influence of evil and corruption.  

Let us press on until the end. Embrace suffering for the sake of Christ. Hold fast to the confession of our faith. Wait patiently and confidently, for He who promised is faithful. Just as He had been faithful to fulfill the prophecies when He came on earth, He will fulfill His promise to return and take us with Him to His eternal kingdom.

But what is our guarantee while we patiently wait for that day? Are we left on our own while we wait for His return? Should we just persevere through our own willpower? No. 

The Holy Spirit is in us and will help us in our weakness. He comforts, strengthens, and speaks for us when our grief is beyond what words can express. And, in the middle of confusion and chaos, we know that God causes everything to work together for our good (Romans 8:26, 28). Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38–39).

This assurance is for those who have believed that Jesus is the Christ, God’s anointed Savior, who will save the world and rule over it for eternity.

The only way to survive and thrive in this broken world is by having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, we won’t find any hope in this life. Without God, life is nothing more than a survival game where every player is left to save themselves. It’s a world full of chaos, fear, and uncertainty; a world devoid of hope.

Do you want to be saved from this world’s destruction? Do you want to experience true hope even in the midst of a crazy pandemic? Here’s how: Believe in Jesus Christ. 

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 (NLT)

Believing means so much more than just intellectual or mental agreement. It involves all of your being—your heart, mind, body, and soul.

Believe in your heart that He is alive. Express your desire to know Him and to be in a relationship with Him. Cast your doubts, burdens, pain, and anxiety on Him. He is your Savior.

Reorient your mind towards Him. He is not just a concept to believe in or a religion to accept. He is a real Person. He is Lord, King, Master, Ruler. He is sovereign over your life. Let Him take full control by surrendering your life to Him.

Surrender your body to Him—your desires, habits, cravings, and lifestyle. Turn away from things that don’t honor Him. Live in a way that expresses your love for Him.

As you take baby steps to grow in Him daily and allow Him to reveal Himself to you more and more, you will find rest for your soul, hope for your future, and strength for each new day.

This pandemic is not the end of us. God is our Alpha and Omega. He is our beginning and end.

Send us a message and we’d love to help you in your journey.