In times of national disasters, such as the Twin Towers incident in 200, many people were confused and afraid, so they looked for answers. After the tsunami in 2013 that took a million lives, people started asking, ‘Where was God?’. God should have prevented this evil. Harold Kushner, a popular rabbi and author, proposed an explanation for disasters. His conclusion was that God was either good but not powerful to prevent disaster or He was powerful but not always good. Both are false. God is all good and all powerful (Rom 8:28). He is the great I AM, self existent, creator of all things. In this current global crisis, we remember God is sovereign and working.

Where is God?
Job had lost his children, his wife and the love they shared, his livelihood, his wealth, his health and his friends. He lost everything. His former life seemed greatly blessed by God, but now he was looking for God. Job was confused and looking for answers. As Christians, we can also doubt or be confused about our circumstances. Eliphaz said God was punishing Job (Job 22:5-&), but Job knew his innocence. Even God said there was no one righteous like Job. Job was what we would call a mature believer. Still, Job was searching for God, looking for answers and God was silent. Job couldn’t find God, `He is not there… I cannot perceive Him`. Job was in the dark, lonely and in despair.

Right now, it’s similar to what’s going on with the coronavirus. Many people are going through really tough times, financially, sickness, and even death. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We are confused. We are trying to find God.

Reasons we cannot find God
First we try to make a deal with God. We think if we do certain things then God would respond with favor. But God is not like man. He doesn’t think or act on man’s level  (Is55:8-9;1Cor1:25). It only takes a look at the gospel to understand that only God could conceive and accomplish such a salvation, when all other religions are based on works.

Our doubt can also be caused by impatience. However God is always preparing something good. To avoid impatience:

• Know who God is, specifically God is omnipresent and in every circumstance.

• Know the pattern of God. He is the one who approaches first. God approached Adam and Eve first after they were lost in the garden. Jesus approached the disciples when they were hiding in fear after his death.

• God is in us. Whatever happens we are in Christ and He is in us. (2 Cor 5:17)

• God is our father. He chose us to be His children. He loves us and will never abandon us. (Is49:15, Jn1:18, Lk15:20)

• God made a covenant with us. Like the covenant with Abraham, we have a new covenant in Jesus. (Ro8:38-39) Nothing can separate God from us.

God is working even though we can’t see Him
God is not dead at all. Even though we can’t see or sense Him, God is not dead. In contrast He is constantly working. He is governing all creation, sustaining and directing every aspect of the universe. (Jn 5:17;Co1:17).

God is always working for the purpose of salvation (Jn6:29). From the Bible, we know God the Father is sustaining the believers (Jn6:37,39), Jesus the Son is interceding for us (Ro8:34) and the Holy Spirit is convicting sinners and teaching. (Jn16:8-9;14:26). The Trinity is working to save because salvation is the work of God.

So why can’t we see God?
We have unconfessed sin (He12:14). Through His word we believe and know God, so while we are in the pit, we must continue to pursue holiness. God sympathizes with us and is there in the midst of our crisis. The problem is we lack faith, like the disciples in the boat during the storm. Jesus was right there! (Mk 4:37-38) Faith depends on God’s word and when we have faith in God we are able to overcome because God is with us and He is working. So be faithful and holy.

God’s purpose
Job demonstrates a faith that is based on the Scriptures. `He knows the way I take`. Job is confessing that even in the midst of trials he will come out as gold. How can Job do this? Job knows that God knows. We get mad at God because we think He doesn’t know what we are going through. But God knows everything. (Ps147:5; Jer17:9-10). Not only does He know, but God has a purpose. `When he tried me`. The sovereign God is in control and His purpose is for us to be like Jesus, a Christ-likeness, which is more precious than gold (Ac3:6). We should welcome our trying, we should boast about Jesus. Jesus is our greatest gain for which we sacrifice all things (Phi3:7-8).

It is amazing to realize that God is working on us for our good in times like this. We can see God working when we live by faith in Jesus, the Son of God. This is the time to stand by faith, to not be confused or hide, but work just as God is working on us. As Christians, we can see God rightly and have hope, which is what people truly need.

• knowing God’s nature;
• knowing God personally and intimately; and
• knowing who we are.

• We fail to see God’s goodness when our thoughts of God are not according to what the Bible reveals of Him.
• We fail to see God’s goodness when we don’t realize how serious sin is.
• We fail to see God’s goodness when we don’t understand His severity in justice and mercy.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, times are difficult and full of fear. The virus is deadly and powerful, taking lives of not just the elderly, but young people as well. The world is panicking, but we are Christians. We are different, we belong to God and are able to handle this situation differently, and even provide answers to the rest of the world (1 Peter 2:9-10). We can learn from and share the example of King Hezekiah, who also faced a hopeless and terrifying crisis.

King Hezekiah was one of the few righteous kings after King David. He restored obedience to God’s commands and revived the Levitical priesthood. After King Hezekiah’s acts of faithfulness, war came from the Assyrians. The Assyrians were a mighty people who brutally conquered many nations. How did King Hezekiah respond to this terrifying situation? He prepared, he knew the Lord and he prayed.

Preparation
King Hezekiah first realizes his situation, that war is coming. He takes decisive action in preparing for the upcoming siege, by stopping the water, gathering the military and encouraging his men. In times of crisis, he does not panic, he does remain idle, he doesn’t act hopeless or fatalistic but instead takes action. Christians too must prepare themselves. We can’t sit and do nothing (Mt 25:24-26) because we are afraid. However, Christians prepare themselves through God and the wisdom of God’s word. We must be like Martin Luther, who took precautions through the bubonic plague, but also cared for those who needed his help.

Know God
Verse 7: Be strong and courageous! Joshua 1:6
In these moments, when people are afraid they become focused on self. They don’t look up at God or around at other people. Even some Christians are like that. It happened to Peter (Mt 16:21-22). He didn’t understand who Jesus was or what He came to do. Hezekiah was different because he truly knew God. ‘for the one with us is greater than the one with him’ (v7). He knows God is greater than the enemy. Jesus is able to handle our situation effortlessly so there is no need to fear (Mk 4:38-40). It is amazing to know God is with us, Immanuel (Deut 4:31, Phil 2:9-11, Mt 10:28)

We must not fear what’s going on but we must fear God. Unfaithful fear comes from loving the world too much (Tom Hick). This virus is a good time to check if we fear the Lord or other things. More than pain, or sickness or death, we must fear the holy God and sinning against Him. Our Lord Jesus knew the pain of the crucifixion (Lk 22:42), but he endured the pain and death of the cross, which led to joy (Heb 12:2).

Fear of God leads to a trust in God. Hezekiah says God will fight our battles. He trusted God’s word and the history of God’s victories (Ex 15:3,14:14). This is the moment to trust God and His word (Ps 23:4).

Pray
The Assuryan army shouted propaganda, telling the people to not listen to Hezekiah but that their nation and God will fall like all the other gods that fell. Hezekiah’s response is to go to the true and living God and pray. To Hezekiah, God is real. We too must pray because God is who He said He is and does what He says He will do. Both Hezekiah and Isaiah cried out like children. God listens to your prayers and gives good gifts to those who ask(Mt 7:11). Like the early church, let’s pray together during this time (Ac4:31).

Even though God is sovereign and He knows our prayers before we ask, prayer is not merely about intercession. Prayer is knowing God and being known by Him. Prayer is about fellowship with God and building your relationship with the Lord. Also, it is obedience to His commands. God is in heaven above, and when we pray we are in His presence. Hezekiah prayed to God to overcome the upcoming war.

Conclusion
Hezekiah acted bravely by preparing for the war and strengthening his men with courage. He knew God and trusted in God’s word. He brought His needs before God in prayer. In verse 21, God defeats the invading army and rescues them. God did it.

As Christians, we have different places in this world, especially when we consider our work. There are Christians everywhere with all sorts of different jobs. This work is a blessing from God. However, our true identity is not in our work. When God sends you out every morning, He sends you out as a Christian, to make bridges to non-believers. We are fishermen sent to catch fish. At our jobs, we work for the Lord.

There is a difference between evangelism and witnessing. Evangelism is specifically to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through the speaking of the gospel message. Witnessing is revealing what is invisible, such as loving one another to show the love of Christ. We are also witnesses and when we obey, we witness for Christ, but it is not evangelism. Unbelievers are not saved by witnessing, but by the hearing and believing of the gospel.

Evangelism is accomplished by Christians. Only those who have experienced God’s salvation can share the truth with others. People think that you can accomplish any dream if you try. In the worldly sense, it might be true but no one can accomplish being a Christian. Only by God’s grace can a person be saved. Additionally, not only are we unable, but we have no desire to become a Christian. From the beginning, we are dead because of our sins and we are Christians only by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:1-6, Matthew 19:23-24) The fact that we can be saved and are saved is God’s compassion (Mt 19:26, John 3:16)

Since only God saves, God’s salvation is not a coincidence. He plans every moment from the beginning of time. God also doesn’t make any mistakes in whom He saves or not saves. His salvation is sure. Evangelism and God’s salvation go together (Mt 4:18). Peter and Andrew were working their normal jobs when Jesus sought them and called them. In the same way, God sends us to those who are working (Rom 10:14).

Evangelism is never alone. We forget Jesus is with us and become fearful. In reality, Jesus is the one who is active and working when we share the gospel (Mt 28:20).  Take Peter, a veteran fisherman. He went fishing and caught nothing (John 21:3). Jesus knew that Peter had caught nothing all night. Why? Because without Jesus we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Then Jesus demonstrates what it is like when He is with them. This story helps us to be bold because the resurrected Jesus is with us. Even if we have little knowledge, Christ says He will give you the words to speak (Ac 5:29-30, Mt 10:16-19).

Evangelism is impossible without obedience and is a fruit of our sanctification. Evangelism is a sharing of the joy we have received from God with the unbeliever. God commands us to proclaim the gospel just as Jesus commanded Peter to cast the net on the right side of the boat. The disciples obeyed him and caught a lot of fish. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and we are the body of Christ, as the head wills so the body must follow and obey. It is our disobedience when we fail to evangelize. Jesus is Lord and we must obey Him (Phil 2:9-11). Sadly, too many Christians do not submit to the Word of God. They make excuses or avoid these parts of the Bible (Jn 20:21). They fear men when they should fear God. Make evangelism a priority over your fear and busyness. Why else has God saved you? To be busy? No. It is to evangelize, and as you evangelize with boldness and clarity, your fear will lessen and Christ will work.

Evangelism must be gospel-centered. Jesus said, “cast THE net”. The net we are commanded to cast is the gospel. We must not imitate the famous Charles Finney, who relied on altar calls, sinner’s prayer methods and taught decisional regeneration. These do not work because they cannot save a sinner. Our job is simple, proclaim the one true gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:13). Only by the gospel can someone be saved from death unto life, a life of Christ. It is Christ who lives in me, therefore, I live by faith (Gal 2:20)

In conclusion, how can we start sharing the gospel at work? Preach the gospel to yourself every day. Work for the glory of God. Practice careful listening. Pray for them relentlessly. Then God will use you for evangelism.

Jesus is God incarnate, which means even from infancy Jesus is the Lord. He is the same forever. We see this truth based on the witness of Mary, Joseph, Anna and Simeon. They testified that his name is Jesus, the Savior of sinners.

After Jesus was born, in accordance to the law, Mary had to wait over forty days to go to the temple because she was considered unclean.(Lev 12:1-4). The reason that a woman is considered unclean is because, even though a baby is God’s gift, they are still sinners, and so there is a time of purification after giving birth. While the law does not bring salvation, Mary and Joseph were both righteous and obeyed according to God’s commands. After the days of purification, they bring Jesus up to Jerusalem to offer to God.

In these events, we see six aspects of Jesus Christ.

1. Jesus’ sacrifice is voluntary:  In the Levitical law, God reserved the first born son of every family, but in their place God reserved the tribe of Levites. So it was the Levites who would present their first born son to God (Num 8:17-8). Jesus did not have to present himself because He was of the tribe of Judah.  He went voluntarily and with humility (Phil 2:5-8). Why would Jesus, who is God, voluntarily sacrifice Himself? Because He loves us (Jn 3:16). What amazing love and wonderful love Jesus shows His undeserving chosen.

2. Jesus is as glorious as God the Father: The verse says He went ‘up’ to Jerusalem. As Moses went up Mount Sinai where God revealed Himself, and just as Jesus would later go up the mountain and was transfigured; Jesus the baby went up to His Father’s house (Ex 19:1,3; Mt 17:1,5). Jesus’ glory is God’s glory and all creation worships Him (Rev 5:12-14)

3. Jesus is presented to God: ‘Present’ means to offer or to sacrifice. Normally, since the Levites were reserved and presented to the Lord, instead of all the tribes’ first born sons, the other tribes would pay a ransom (redemptions fee) of 30 gerah to the priests (Num 18:16-17). Instead of paying the ransom, Jesus was presented. Jesus is the ransom for sinners, a ransom for many (Mk 10:45). As sinners, we have a debt we cannot pay and no means to pay it (Ps 29:6-9). Jesus pays our debt in full by presenting Himself, His own life, as our ransom. This unfathomable debt is now paid in full and we are free! Praise the name of Jesus! (1 Pt 1:18-19)

4. Jesus is supreme: Being the firstborn means He is first in rank, the highest position, supreme (Col 1:15). Jehovah’s Witness may try to argue that being first born is chronological, but they misunderstand. Jesus is not a creature but the Creator, God above all creation.

5. Jesus is holy: Holy means otherness. Even though Jesus became man, he was still holy God. Naturally, men hate and fear the holiness of God, especially those who only have an exterior holiness, such as the Pharisees who ultimately killed Jesus out of their hatred. Similar to Peter, the natural response to Jesus’ holiness is to realize our sinfulness and try to distance ourselves (Lk 5:8). May we see the holiness of Jesus and repent of our sins.

6. Jesus is the final sacrifice, the lamb of God: For the burnt offering and sin offering, you would present a lamb or a bull, and if you were poor such as Joseph and Mary, you would bring a pigeon or a turtledove. In the old covenant God showed mercy through the sacrifices, and even to the poor, God allowed a way. Mary and Joseph didn’t have a lamb, but they had Jesus. In the new covenant, Jesus is the Lamb, who’s blood washes us of all our sin. The veil in the temple has been torn, and in Jesus, we can draw near with confidence. (Heb 10:8-10;Mt 27:51;Heb 4:16)

Many people believe life’s good because they feel good. Their assessment is based on their emotions. The unfortunate reality is that life is not good. As spiritual descendants of Adam, everyone is under the curse of God (Romans 5:12). Everyone is uncooperative with the Lord and goes against God (Romans 1:1822). Thirdly, everyone is destined to die and to be judged (Ephesians 2:1-2, Hebrews 9:27). For these reasons, there is no true peace or joy in this life. The solution is not to just enjoy what we can, while we can. There is a way for our lives to be worthwhile, in the eyes of God.

In Luke 2:20, the shepherds are glorifying and praising God. Just moments before, they were shepherds stuck in their routine at the bottom of the social status, with no hope of anything different. Life was not good. Yet they were changed, and this change had nothing to do with what they were. In fact, they went back, their job was still the same. Nothing had changed about their circumstances.

What happened to change the shepherds? In Luke 2:10-11 They heard the gospel, they trusted and obeyed, they enhanced by sharing.  The change for joy begins with faith in these three stages.

Hear the Gospel (Luke 2:8-10)
People need to hear first before anything else. Jesus commanded us to teach, so that they may hear (Matthew 28:18). Faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:14,17). They must hear the gospel message of Jesus (Luke 2:10-14), which is found in the Bible, the Word of God. It is not because it was spoken by angels that the shepherds believed, for even though people saw the rising of the dead they did not believe. It is the Bible by the power of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of men by which people believe (Acts 4:4). Hearing the telling of the miracles in the Bible is better than seeing them in person.

However, you must hear without doubting. Hear the Bible without a preconceived skeptical understanding. The Bible is true! If you have doubt or bias, then even if Jesus speaks to you, you won’t believe (Luke 4:22-23). Then, when you hear the Word of Christ, as you take it personally, it will bring you to repentance, because you will know that is for your sins Jesus died on the cross.

Trust and Obey
After the shepherds heard the message, they trusted what the angel said. Luke 2:15. We too can trust the gospel message because it comes from heaven. The gospel is not from men, but from God. ‘The Lord has made known to us’ the gospel message through the Bible. We can trust God through His word in all circumstances.

Trusting leads to obedience. The shepherd’s promptly obeyed the words of the angel because they trusted what they heard. To obey, you must be willing and determined based on what you hear. Obedience takes bravery and a venturous attitude. The shepherd’s had never visited Bethlehem, they did not know where they were going or how to find Mary and Joseph, but still they went.

Why is it hard to obey promptly?

• Divided hearts have a hard time to obey. It takes a whole-hearted courage to obey.

• It is also hard to obey when we try to obey in their own way (Romans 10:1-3)

• Difficult to obey because we fail to have faith. Hebrews 11:6

Enhance by sharing
Lastly obedience must be proven by sharing (Luke 2:18-19)  They confirmed what they heard with their own eyes and they shared with Mary what happened to them. Afterwards, they went back glorifying and praising God, because the gospel which they heard and saw was now their joy.

As Christians, the gospel is our joy and excitement. If you are not excited about the gospel then you are wrong. The reason we care about the gospel is because it is our life! We’re not waiting or hoping for anything else. God did not spare His own Son! This is the best news by which we are saved. We are freed from sin and death and have eternal life!

Yet there are Christians who think they are not blessed, waiting for something else or something more. They wait because they are not changed by the gospel. They are not changed by the gospel because they have understood it properly. It is silly to want something more when the gospel is the power to save (Romans 1:16). Nothing else can save someone or change them.

The gospel we have heard is everything we need in this life. We trust God’s word and obey with courage. When we obey, the gospel is confirmed. As a result, sharing the gospel is our joy, the joy of heaven.

• Surrender to God, to be His instrument for His Will to be done. Regardless of circumstances, our hearts must be dedicated to the Lord, aiming for His glory.
• Worship Christ alone.
• Become more like Christ in sanctification. Every Christian has the desire to become more like Jesus to the glory of God. (Phil 3:10-11)