I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
He heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me
The anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me” (Psalm 116:1-4)
In the midst of a perilous situation, the psalmist looked to God for help. Lord, save me. Today, these uncomplicated words are particularly poignant as we find ourselves engulfed by Covid-19. They speak to us and speak for us. Lord, save us. Like the multitudes before us, we lament because we know that the voices of the poor, the destitute, the afflicted and the repentant will be heard. The ear of God is inclined to all who seek Him in repentance. As He hears, He also convicts and softens our hearts towards those who are most broken, most fragile and most forgotten in order to form a just society. Through this crisis, he wants us to join in his work of restoring the world rather than breaking it apart.
As the global pandemic continues to surge, we are terrified by men’s untenable position to defend himself and our total dependence on God to save. Wealth, education, or status does not provide us immunity against the coronavirus and possible death – no one is spared, not even Sophie Trudeau, Boris Johnson, or Prince Philip. In our vulnerability, we harden our hearts as we divert our eyes from God to ourselves. We omit to care or be fair to those who are more and most vulnerable among us. We forget we are called to participate in Jesus’ work of restoration and not to break the world apart.
My own insensitivity towards those around me was amplified as God breaks my heart with my elderly mother living in Hong Kong. While far from being the greatest victim of current circumstances, conversations with my mother have made me sad and more empathetic towards other seniors living in long term care and the challenges that part-time care providers face. Currently, all seniors at institutions are by health orders, isolated from family members and have minimum access to personal care. For those who are frail and unable to function independently, the situation becomes unbearable. Alone in darkness, there is no one to talk to and no one seems to care. The situation is exacerbated when personal support workers, already in short supply, are quarantined or laid off due to outbreaks. When their survival depends on daily work, sometimes with multiples shifts at multiple sites, this group of low-income earners become more disadvantaged. They may find themselves out of money to provide food, shelter or the essential wi-fi connection for their children to continue education opportunities online. They, and many others, are stuck in abject poverty in great need for God and a better society.
Despite our failings and the raging storm of Covid-19, God continues to hear the lament of those in distress. He continues to remind us that our protection comes not from ourselves, and our only hope of salvation is from Him. As such, mentally prioritizing our comfort and safety in such a time is futile, and we cannot ignore those in dire need within our community. In this moment of world crisis, we must share whatever resources we can to bring about a renewed society as in God’s original plan. One that is just and provides care even for the last and the least among us.