GOD’S TIME, OUR TIME, AND COVID-19

Written by John Blase | Editor’s Note: As we face this global pandemic together, the In Touch editorial team will publish a new essay each Friday to help you remember what’s certain in uncertain times.

“My days have been consumed in smoke…my days are like a lengthened shadow.” – Psalm 102

Wait, what day is it? If only I had a dollar for the number of times I’ve asked myself that question in the last few weeks. To say I am constantly checking our kitchen wall calendar is not an exaggeration. I’ve honestly lost track, and I’m usually a pretty good tracker. And in text conversations, phone calls, and the dreaded Zoom with family and friends and work colleagues, they are asking that same question. If we were to push our question just a smidge further, we’re all essentially asking, What time is it?

“Times of Trouble” – Psalm 59:16 (NIV)

In the early days of this pandemic, we still thought we had time by the tail. There was still a center, if you will. But the center has not held, and we the people have been plunged into something resembling the experience of those who live and work aboard submarines, where time folds in on itself over the course of a deep-sea mission. The difference here is that those crews go through rigorous psychological training, and those who “pass” are relatively confident they won’t go off the deep end before surfacing once again. But we haven’t had that training. The human hatch has been sealed, and we’ve submerged. Whether we like it or not, we’re now living in—or by—different time.