*Could it be that we’ve gone so far over the top, that God is trying to get our attention?
As the numbers continue to grow of the people who have died, or are affected by the pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19), we can only wonder how long and how wide it will spread. Business is not as usual with all the alerts – school closures, business closures, social distancing – there are concerns of the long term affect this crisis will have just like the events of 911 have forever changed our lives.
Perhaps we can draw some clues from the flu pandemic 102 years ago in 1918 when an estimated 20 to 50 million people died of the Spanish flu. It lasted from January 1918 to December 1920, and took the lives of more than those killed in World War One (WW1) as it came to a close. It was believed that the virus spread largely because military operations were being moved to campaigns around the globe. It affected a third of the world’s population – over 600,000 Americans died.
The Black Death (known today as the plague) that struck Asia and Europe in 1347 was reportedly caused when 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. People who gathered on the docks were shocked to find that most of the sailors were either dead, or alive but gravely ill, covered with black boils that oozed blood and pus. Over the next five years, the Black Death pandemic would kill 25 million people in Europe alone – a third of the continent’s population. About 400 years later, French biologist Alexandre Yersin discovered that the germ was spread by a bacillus called Yersinia pestis (named in his honor). Scientists now know that the bacillus travels from person to person through the air (pneumonic), as well as through the bite of infected fleas and rats. It was through the vast shipping trade during that time that the plague spread so far and wide.
In an article dated 3/12/2020, Peter Schelden writes: “Coronavirus COVID-19 has never been seen before this outbreak. As a result, there are many details about the infection that remain unknown. One of the most pressing questions is whether coronavirus will go away anytime soon. The impact of the Spanish flu was vast and continues to this day. Descendants of the virus can still be found in pigs, Dr. Taubenberger said. And ever since a lab accident in 1977, nearly all human cases of influenza A have been caused by Spanish flu viral descendants.”
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And should regulators be looking at manufacturing practices for personal electronic devices? Scientists do not know for certain how long coronaviruses survive on surfaces. One news source says, “It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.”
If that’s the case, we may not know what we’re up against. With all the electronic devices that people use religiously; cruise ships; sporting events; schools; workplaces – the magnitude of this pandemic just may have a colossal impact on our lives just like after the 911 tragedy. Could it be God is allowing these viruses to be elusive as a reminder that we should be spending more time seeking Him, rather than being so entertained and distracted! I once wrote an article “Bowed Heads, But Nobody’s Praying.” Seems we’ve become so addicted to our electronic devices that everyone is looking down, when God want’s us to look up!
Could it be that we’ve gone so far over the top, that God is trying to get our attention? Is He allowing the virus to play hide ‘n’ seek for His purposes? Some people have become so arrogant like here in California where people gathered at the beaches and hiking trails – despite the warnings to stay home. Hey folks…business is not as usual!
Psalm 121 reads: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 reads: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Larry Buford is a contributing writer. Author of “Things Are Gettin’ Outta Hand” and “Book To The Future (Amazon). Email: [email protected]
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