Pastor's Corner

20 May
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Mid-Week Challenge

As we are coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, research is showing that faith has played a big part in getting people through the last few months.  According to a survey by the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a total of 82 percent of Americans confess a belief in God, with most of them (80 percent) saying they believed in God before the pandemic and 2 percent saying their belief in God developed after the pandemic.  Survey findings go on to report among Americans who believe in God, 63 percent agree with the statement that “God is telling humanity to change how we are living” (31 percent agree strongly and 31 percent say they “somewhat” agree with the statement).  Additionally, 55 percent of those who believe in God say they think “God will protect me from being infected.” Only 9 percent of those who believe in God think “God has abandoned humanity.” An important finding was more than half of those who believe in God believe, “God is telling humanity to change how we are living.”  26 percent of Americans say the outbreak has made their “sense of religious faith or spirituality” stronger, while 1 percent say it’s now weaker. Most Americans (73 percent) say it’s the same. http://www.apnorc.org/PDFs/Divinity-AP-NORC%20May%202020/UChicagoDivinity_APNORC_May2020.pdf 

No matter how you choose to interpret the data, no one can say that faith had no place during the outbreak.  In fact, faith was a key factor in allowing people to understand what was happening all around them.  Two percent found faith during the pandemic.  Another interesting finding is in the area of Worship music.  The top two songs during the COVID outbreak were It Is Well With My Soul and Great is Thy Faithfulness  https://files.logoscdn.com/v1/files/43538394/content.html?signature=1_B3K8tpHSs4A_ovtqSfxKcFzNs  In our greatest times of need we naturally revert back to that which provides the most comfort.  Traditional songs of praise and worship, with their rich theological wording and meaning to this day help us to make sense of what is going on around us.   

Was there anything positive that has come out of the last few months? I think these two studies alone show us that faith is not dead and God has surely not abandoned us.  If anything it has been a rebuilding and reminding exercise of trust and purpose for God’s people.  We must trust Him in the purpose He has for us.  Distractions are all around us, but God’s word through Bible study and Worship always find a way to ground us.  Don’t miss the opportunity God has placed before us as we come out of this fog.  His desire for us to reconnect with Him and each other grows clearer each and every day! 

Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!  Lamentations 3:21-23

 Serving the Savior

Bro. Jonathan

 

By: Dr. Jonathan RIcherson

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