“Stay safe.” For the last several months, my grandson, Tristan, has been uttering these two words whenever he says goodbye to someone. In these difficult days experienced by the majority of people around the world, “stay safe” is a sentiment shared by many as we depart from one another. The coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything our generation has ever experienced.

“Social distancing” has become the new catchphrase as self-quarantine is being encouraged by governments around the world. Not only have schools and businesses shut down, but many local churches have also. Even here at Brown Street, our services have been reduced to one service a week.

Does temporarily altering our schedule of services demonstrate a lack of faith? It seems everyone has a different opinion about this. In my opinion, during this current crisis, it does not. The motive behind reducing the times we meet together, or concerning some churches, not meeting at all, is purely medical. We are dealing with something that can only spread through contact; thus, restricting contact with others is the prudent thing to do. The elders here at Brown Street are simply trying to keep us safe. We can hardly call that a lack of faith.

When someone stays home on Sunday because they have the flu, do we claim that they have a lack of faith? Of course not. In such cases, the one who is sick may stay home even after they feel a little better because they do not want to infect any other members with the flu. Would we consider that a lack of faith? Probably not, and if we did, we would be wrong. The motive for that would be love and compassion for brethren, not a lack of faith in God.

Some are saying that for a local church to change or alter the services is equivalent to first-century Christians forsaking the assembling due to the threat of persecution. That is not a fair assessment of the current situation in which we find ourselves. Not meeting on the Lord’s day due to a very contagious virus is much different than not doing so due to persecution. Persecution comes from man, and the Bible specifically says that we ought to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). While we are being tested in some ways by the coronavirus, we are not being persecuted by it.

What if the government demands that we not congregate as they have in places like California? Is that governmental persecution like they faced in the first century? No, in the first century, the church was being targeted, and, by the way, it was not for assembling, it was for being Christians in the first place. When Paul persecuted the church, he was going to their homes, not to their public places of worship. In our situation, like the elders of a local church, the government is only trying to keep its citizenry safe and is not in any way targeting Christians.

Does faith come into play at all when considering COVID-19? Yes, it certainly can. There are, no doubt, some who are glad, not for the virus itself, but about the present situation where we are not assembling as much. They can now stay home and not be viewed as forsaking the assembling. That mentality would certainly stem from a lack of faith in God, as well as a lack of love. For most of us, this whole situation feels weird and unusual. Our lives revolve around the church and serving the Lord, and to be home at times when we are normally at services is just strange. To be honest with you, I am having trouble keeping the days straight.

Let me conclude these thoughts with a few exhortations. First, do not blame God for this virus, or even question His permissive will. Critics will say, “if there is a God of love, He would not allow a pandemic like this to happen in the first place.” That is a conclusion that comes from a lack of trust and faith in God. The truth is, the existence of suffering in this world is the devil’s doing, not God’s. Adam and Eve were in a state of paradise when God created them. They were experiencing heaven on earth so-to-speak. When they sinned, however, death, fear, and disappointment came along with it, and man has been suffering ever since. Ultimately, every tear-stained eye is because of the presence of sin in the world. I do not know where viruses originate, but I do know that if we were still in a place of paradise—a place where there was no sin, they would not exist. So, if you want to blame someone for COVID-19, blame Satan, not God.

Second, let us not develop any bad habits during this temporary change of service times. Soon this will all pass, and we will have the privilege of assembling four to five times a week once again. If you have always been faithful in your attendance, do not let this momentary blip turn into a habitual practice. If you have not been as faithful in the past as you should have been, use this time to reflect on your relationship with God and determine to do better. It is a blessing to be able to meet with God’s people and worship our Creator freely, but it is awfully easy to take it for granted. I pray that this global crisis will remind all of us how fortunate we are.