There has been no better time to pursue God.

Every other day, we are grappling with loss of loved ones, fighting insecurities, and pondering about survival. Scarcely do we wrap our heads around one tragedy before another appears. The problems that daunt us today are one too many to resolve and most of it is unseen! Psychologists point out there is no escaping long-term mental impacts while doctors foresee life-long health impacts for those who manage to survive the virus.

There is no end to the incessant questions that arise in our heads about the future, to the worries and the challenges that we face in the midst of this pandemic. It is a vicious cycle. For the believer, the questions are more profound, as his worldview has God at the center of it. And when reality dents this worldview, the very basis of his faith is tested. There are two options then: to forsake the worldview and look for an alternate one or to go back to the very foundation of that worldview.

Traditionally, we have sold God as the Eternal Pursuer, the Good Shepherd who comes looking for the lost sheep. But somewhere we have forgotten that man also has a role to play in the relationship with God. Right in the beginning of the Bible, we see Abraham and God entering into a covenant relationship. Such a relationship holds both accountable to the other, it is not one sided at all. Scholars underline that a Biblical covenant relationship is distinguished because it is a personal relationship in which people voluntarily enter and not merely a contract.

Now to deviate a bit, have you heard of storm chasers? They are a unique breed. While most people stay as far away from cyclones and thunderstorms as possible, these people risk everything to chase and record them. I feel in a covenant relationship, every now and then, one has to don the role of a storm chaser, pursuing God even in the midst of a storm. It might not be the most pleasurable pursuit but is certainly a rewarding process as any storm chaser will tell you.

Can you risk everything to pursue God? Even when the world labels you crazy for believing in a God who seems to have no control over what is happening or worse, still seems powerless or unwilling to do anything about it? Will you trust Him even when your heart is sinking each day? Though your prayers seem to be losing their wings?

If we choose to go back to God even when we cannot make sense of anything around us, we honor that covenant relationship, the very basis of our worldview. And God is no debtor either. If not today, in eternity it will all make sense, the pain and the chaos; this very pandemic.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash