The Mark of COVID, The Mark of God

Though we are several years removed, there exists a certainty that COVID has left a permanent mark on society. Admittedly, I am slightly bothered by the fact that even now, the mark of COVID is still an ongoing part of our conversations. We can't talk about systems and institutions in society without also talking about its continuous effects. Yet, that is the reality in which we live; this is a time when every conversation has to be quantified by the COVID effect. Because of that, I think something gets lost in the midst of that: the mark of God.

There is a responsibility that comes with believing that the Lord is sovereign, perfect, and good. That responsibility is to both remember God and trust God in whatever circumstances He has allowed to take place. Therefore, while we may talk about the mark left by COVID, my prayer is that we won’t forget to talk about the mark left by God. If the Lord is sovereign, good, and perfect (and he is all of those things), then we come through something like COVID not merely dwelling upon the enduring effects of it but placing our mind on the things above (Colossians 3:1-4), we trust that God accomplished some purpose through it as well. Therefore, we ask, by allowing His people to endure the era of COVID, did God bring about some aspect of His sovereign will?

The obvious answer is, 'Yes,' inciting the question from many people, 'What did He succeed in doing?' I don't have an answer because, unlike God, I am not omniscient, which means I cannot tell you with firm certainty what He was doing. However, sufficient time has passed for us to look backward and make some observations and interpretations, and some impacts have come out of that.

I see two specific effects: increased digital accessibility and increased digital literacy. Often, those two go hand in hand, but sometimes they are mutually exclusive. We spent the time of initial closures sequestered in Argentina. Though more advanced than many countries, there are some natural limitations (like economics) placed on technology so that not everyone has access and not everyone was comfortable with it. Shutdowns forced people to become more engaged with technology. This took various forms depending on the task, from schooling to administrative processes or merely staying connected with one another. People who were not able to nor wanted to use technology were now forced to contend with it at all age levels across all socioeconomic statuses.

The increase in digital accessibility and literacy, then, becomes something that can be leveraged for living out God's will for our lives as well. If you're reading this blog, you already know that. Technology makes articles like this possible. It gives us access to solid biblical resources and teachings we would not otherwise have. The point for us to consider, though, is that COVID forced more reliance upon technology and brought more people to it that had initially not been engaged with it. That obviously has many detriments that go beyond the scope of this article, but let us at least consider the reality that more people are now engaged with technology.

What does an increased level of engagement by secular people mean for Christian people? It means an ever-increasing reach to the unbeliever. It signifies a more significant opportunity to engage in the Great Commission. We have more access into people's lives in order to make disciples . . . and, in some ways, more personal access, which makes for more direct counsel. We’ve always had these opportunities, but now they are made more prevalent and comfortable than they were previously.

Therefore, as a result of COVID, the Lord has placed more opportunities before us if we steward the tools rightly, and I think we need to be aware of that. If we're not oriented towards the Lord in circumstances like this, we may miss what the Lord has done, and I do not want to see that happen here. For that reason, I draw your attention to it. Was this the full purpose of God in COVID? Probably not, and I'm not going to claim to know the full impact the Lord intends with it. Because of His wisdom, He can orchestrate even the most minor event for a maximum impact, and so I suspect with everything that happened through COVID, the Lord is bringing to culmination many aspects of His plan. The increase in digital accessibility and digital literacy is simply a small piece that I think we can grasp now. And so, for the sake of proclaiming His name, let us look beyond the mark of COVID and instead toward the mark of God.