7 Day Devotional Responding to a Global PandemicSample

The world who cried wolf 

We are all familiar of the fable of the boy who cried wolf. The fable concerns a bored shepherd boy who decides to prank his village by yelling that a wolf is attacking the town’s sheep. The whole village is afraid but ready to defend their town against the wolf, only to discover that it was a false alarm. The boy repeats this prank two more times to the dismay of the villagers. Eventually, the wolf does indeed appear and the boy cry for help, the villagers believe it to be another false alarm and the wolf eats the town’s flock. Doesn’t this sound familiar of our world today? The world is full of so many lies, half-truths and ‘fake news’ that we find it very difficult to recognise what the truth is, even when it is standing right in front of us.

We want the truth and nothing but the whole truth

We find it hard to recognise when others are being truthful because truth isn’t consistent in our world. We live in a world were truth is guaranteed by anyone. In our quest for truth, we have been taken advantage of. Some have capitalised on our crisis, whilst other have used disease and pandemics, to spread disinformation advance their own agenda.

Now, not everyone who promotes misinformation may be doing so maliciously, we have all been victims of well-intentioned family members- and friends- circulating dubious content via social media. Nevertheless, irrespective of the motives the outcome is always the same: chaos and harm to the audience.

Indeed, our current crisis and pandemic has become a fertile ground for deceit and misinformation to flourish. Unreliable and false information is spreading around the world to such an extent, that one organization referred to the new avalanche of misinformation that has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic as a ‘disinfodemic’. Disinfodemic is putting our lives at risk.

Unfortunately, Christians are not immune. We have bought into the disinfodemic from conspiracy theorists, and false teachers. Misinformation is harmful to our faith as it amplifies lies that become truths in our lives. Essentially, the one who believes in the lie, will end up living in the lie and making decisions based on the lie. I have come to accept that as long as we live in a fallen and broken world, we will never receive the full truth because truth is absolutely not guaranteed by the world.

 Recognising truth

Our expedition for the truth dates back to the beginning of human existence (Genesis 3). From the beginning of the world, human-beings have been in search of the truth. Hence part of Jesus’ mission on earth was to provide answers to satisfy the deep longing in our hearts. In John 14:6, Jesus claimed that he was “the way, the truth and the life”. What a powerful and authoritative statement!

Now we know that a legitimate definition of ‘truth’ can only come from its creator. Therefore, by defining ‘truth’, Jesus is claiming to be the creator of truth. Jesus defines truth by stating that he is the truth. In hindsight we know that Jesus was right. Everything about Jesus was, and is, true; he spoke truth, he lived truth and he is the truth. However at the time, Jesus’s standard of truth was difficult for many to swallow, as they had bought into misinformation, half-truths and falsehoods. They were seeking the truth but found it very difficult to recognise him, even when he was standing right in front of them.

Exposed by truth

In a world full of disinformation and deception, we must always remember that Jesus is the only one who can guarantee truth. For a person trapped by lies, truth is their key to liberation and freedom. The world has been trapped and bamboozled into believing the following lies: sin is good and there is no judge; therefore, there is no God and there is no hope. Jesus is the truth that liberates us from such lies. By entering our world, he exposed himself as the truth. By dying on the cross, he rescued us from death so that we can live by the truth, daily. Putting your trust in Jesus will set you free from lies that will harm and destroy you.

 Living by truth daily

Knowing Jesus (the truth) should shape the way we live our lives. As Christians, our response to the pandemic should not be chaos and misinformation, rather we must be the light directing others to the path of truth. We must hold on to the truth that comes from Jesus, by reading, believing and living out his Word. Our daily prayer must be similar to that of David’s: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalms 139:23-24). Jesus will expose the lies in our lives just as truth will always expose lies.

Following on from my discussions with many Christians during this pandemic, I have found that one of the lies that Jesus is revealing is who do we really put our trust in, God or man? The truth will set us free.