COVID-19 has negatively impacted people around the globe in various ways. Job losses, income cuts, homelessness, illness and death are just some of the many challenges the pandemic has yielded.
There is also a corresponding rise in depression, anxiety, stress and fatigue which can lead to various health conditions, including stroke, high blood pressure and chronic pain. The one aspect that remains steady throughout the chaos and uncertainty is God.
Maintaining your faith and relying on the truth of God’s Word is vital for your overall mind, body and spirit well-being.
Let’s take a look at five reasons why faith is essential during a health crisis.
1. Possibility of Miracles
People have experienced miracles in their lives in different ways. Miracles can occur in the form of an unexpected turnaround of events, a word of encouragement, a sudden realization or a manifestation. Miracles can only manifest when you have faith that you are blessed to experience and receive these miracles. Miracles require you to believe in what you cannot yet see. They encourage you to trust God’s Word even when you do not see the evidence of it at work in your life. Miracles require faith.
In a time such as this health pandemic, it is important to stay connected with your church family. Being with other believers can help you create and live in a space where miracles can happen. Being able to pray with people whose faith is strong and steadfast only raises the possibility of receiving miracles.
You might experience a miracle that will turn around your feelings of anxiety, replace depression with joy, bring healing to your body, or restore whatever you have lost because of the pandemic.
2. Worship different ways.
A form of worship is through uplifting music. Communicating with God in the form of praise music creates a hopeful space where you feel closer to God. The meanings of the songs and the carefully selected words can speak volumes to someone who is going through a difficult situation. It can make you feel it is worthwhile to continue striving towards hopefulness, rather than get stuck in the feeling of helplessness.
Worshiping through music also helps you express yourself.
Bottled up emotions eventually erupt in different ways such as anger, depression, or anxiety. Expressing yourself through worship is a form of therapy.
Worshiping can help you better navigate your thoughts and emotions. It releases your feeling in a healthy form to allow you to process them freely.
3. Togetherness
When groups of people congregate for a common reason, individuals benefit from this fellowship. If you ever feel lonely, having faith and being with your church can help you feel you are not the only one who has experienced the uphill battle you are in. You can receive encouragement, support and mentorship from those who have conquered life’s many battles.
Your personal battle can also encourage a person who is going through a similar path, and together you can form a positive connection to help pull each other higher.
Even if your current church is not meeting in-person, virtual togetherness can have similar benefits. Turn your camera on whenever you are participating in video gatherings. Your body movements, facial expressions, and vocal tones are all part of the togetherness experience.
4. Hope
Faith keeps you looking forward to a brighter day. If you are sick, your faith can help get you on the road to healing. If you are facing financial difficulties, your faith keeps you searching for the next best opportunity. If you are lonely, faith will keep you believing that when the time is right, you will meet the people who can bring about a positive change in your life.
Without hope, it may seem as if the difficult times will continue without an end in sight. Faith, however, keeps you going through the difficult times with your head held high, knowing that this too shall pass.
5. Finding Solutions‘
Faith can help you find solutions even in a seemingly helpless scenario. Your faith will help you find a way to navigate the adverse situation you may find yourself in because of the health crisis. This kind of faith is important to keep you from falling into a downward spiral which may then be difficult to climb out of.
The determination that comes with faith will push you to go beyond your comfort zone and focus on finding solutions to your struggles. It will cause you to seek after God and make time for divine guidance.
Faith causes you to resist the temptation to accept defeat and pushes you to find a way to overcome.
Your faith can help you to navigate these struggles successfully during a health crisis.