Finding God In The Midst Of The Pandemic
LAITY WEEKEND | 10 OCTOBER 2021 | PRAYER & PRAISE SERVICE (11.30am)
Mr Adriel Loh
Scripture Passage: Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
WATCH | SERMON (VIDEO)
READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary | When Paul wrote these verses, he was in a Roman prison. Similarly, we are in challenging times with the pandemic. The virus has imprisoned us in a “prison” of powerlessness and life will not be the same again. However, while we have no control over our circumstances, we do have choices. We can sink into despair and give up hope or see it as a season of opportunity for a greater surrender, a larger perspective and a higher purpose.
1. Opportunity for a greater surrender
When we cannot change the circumstances, the challenge is to change ourselves. For we only make things worse by trying to resist the change and cling on to the past. Peace and sanity come when we surrender control to the One who is in control, who loves us and whose plans for us are good. Only then can we be freed from the burdens and anxieties which weigh us down. We can rest because God can be trusted with the things that matter most in our lives.
2. Opportunity for a larger perspective
Paul could write with such positivity even in suffering as it gave him an opportunity to reflect deeply on his life, who he was, what was truly important, and what he wanted the story of his life to be. He realized all things he used to consider as important were now worthless compared to Christ. And that what was truly important in life was who we are as a person (our character), where we stand with God (our spirituality) and where we will spend eternity after we die (our salvation). Paul knew Christ would be magnified in him whether through his life or his death. Suffering is therefore an opportunity to move inwards, to find ourselves and to birth a larger perspective of life.
3. Opportunity for a higher purpose
After gaining a larger perspective of what was truly important in life, Paul was clear on the higher purpose he was called to and was single-minded in reaching it. He was confident that everything which had happened to him in life was a movement of growth towards God’s higher purpose for him. The pandemic can unlock this in us as well. Adversity can become a time to die to a lesser version of ourselves so that God can re-birth a greater version of ourselves. And when we see adversity as an opportunity for growth, it gives us hope even in the midst of it.
Conclusion
Where are we today? How do we respond in adversity? Let us throw off the shackles that bind us and press on towards the goal of the high calling of God and the higher purpose which He has placed in our lives.
(Sermon notes by Desley Khew)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Read the scripture text for today’s sermon. What stood out for you as you read those scripture verses?
2. How does the passage challenge or encourage you, in the midst of Covid-19?
3. What are the implications for us through the message?
3a. What are the personal implications (for you)?
3b. What are the communal implications (for our gospel community)?
3c. What are the missional implications (for those we want to reach for Christ)?
4. Take time to pray for each other and those you have listed in Q3b.