While surrounded by the Wuhan coronavirus (also called Covid-19), it’s worth remembering that other viruses have sharply influenced our lives, too. Most of us remember the SARS outbreak and the MERS emergence with their high mortality rates. Just a few years ago, Zika ravaged Central and South America and the aftereffects will be known for decades as affected children grow up. Occasional flare-ups of Ebola terrify people because of its easy transmissibility and majority death rate. And we seem to have forgotten that the “V” in HIV stands for “virus.” Microbiologists tell us that although we know of only a couple of hundred viruses, there are probably many, many millions of these non-living poisons active on the earth.

We are faced with a balancing act: on one hand, we want to protect and defend the most vulnerable among us (those with generally poor health); on the other hand, we want to conduct normal lives without anxiety. It’s clearly more serious than a typical seasonal flu virus, yet nothing near as lethal as the Spanish flu of a century ago. The draconian measures taken by some state and city governments may do a great deal to slow or stop the infection; they will certainly destroy some businesses and jobs. Once again, followers of Jesus Christ can play a strong part in soothing the suffering. Since the Plague of Cyprian in AD 249, Christians have nursed the sick, buried the dead and cared for destitute survivors, to the glory of Jesus. By putting our trust and faith in God, we set an example of calm and steadfast obedience in the face of actual turbulence.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).

Six hundred years before Jesus, the prophet Habakkuk considered the looming devastation that Babylon would visit upon Judah. Even in the face of savage butchery and the companion disasters of famine and plague, he committed himself to the obedient service of Almighty God. No matter what the future held, he remembered that it all belonged to God— and so did he, and all God’s people. We must keep in our own minds that God is still God and He is still in control of the world and our security has never rested in the medical profession or the stock market.

This is another opportunity for those of us who believe that Jesus is the Lord to make an impression on a depressed and anxious world. We must continue to bless those around us, especially those suffering from all kinds of illnesses, and extend the compassionate love of Jesus. We must protect the vulnerable, follow best practices, be wise in our daily lives, pray continually and live joyously, fearing only the Lord. Soon, this current paroxysm will be behind us, remembered like SARS, MERS, and Zika, as terrible to the affected but not catastrophic to the world. We must shine the light of Christ to testify that He is Lord of all and that those who trust in Him can face any future.