Didn't He?

We serve a God who is faithful and who is near to us.  We have access to Him to call upon Him and to give Him praise even before we see the answers to our prayers, confident that He is working. And,
when we see the answer, we can give Him the proper attention. Psalm 72 states:
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things!
19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

The challenges we face become opportunities for God to act - and we can act, too, in accordance with His direction.  There is a human component in the execution of the plan of God: He calls us to be faithful and devoted to Him, but always knowing who is in control. We are called to walk in His strength and not depend on human wisdom.  He gives us access to His wisdom, and empowers us to do what He has called us to do.  We give Him praise because He is not inactive, but very involved in the unfolding of our lives.

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The 29th Psalm offers us the encouragement to give credit to the Lord for when we have seen Him at
work, recognizing His power, and calling attention to the expression of His might.  We can read:
1b Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

Across our nation, and I would dare say around the world, Christian believers are uniting their hearts in prayer against the Coronavirus and its harmful effects, praying for an end to this crisis while asking God to work through it for His purposes.  There are prayers for healing and prayers for protection, and when there are good reports, I believe that we can attribute that to answered prayer.

But, the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, apparently does not want to attribute the leveling off of the number of Coronavirus cases in his state to the hand of the Almighty.  The Christian Post reports that:

As governor of the state that has been by far the most affected by the pandemic, Cuomo stressed that the number of new cases is down “because we brought the number down.”

“God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that,” he stressed. “A lot of pain and suffering did that.”

And, in an interview on CNN the next day, Cuomo doubled down, saying, “Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus,” adding, ”God did not stop the spread of the virus. And what we do, how we act, will dictate how that virus spreads.”

This, by the way, is the same governor who has stated that every life matters during this crisis, yet has signed legislation that would allow the lives of unborn children to be taken during the entirety of pregnancy.   In a statement last November, he echoed the humanistic mantra, "We know thoughts and prayers aren't enough," with regard to a school shooting.

While Cuomo's actions during the current crisis have received mixed reviews, it seems as if his public resistance to Biblical principles has been quite straightforward.  For that, Franklin Graham says...be careful - the article goes on to say:

Evangelist Franklin Graham, who leads the evangelical Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian charity that since April 1 has operated a field hospital in New York City’s Central Park, wrote on Facebook that “we always must be careful what we take credit for.”

“Yes, we must be cautious and combat the spread, but make no mistake — God can help us,” Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, stated. “His power is as infinite as His love.”

The article says that Graham noted the "millions of people" who have been praying for New York, as well as an end to the crisis. He stated, "We continue to see answered prayer in our field hospital,” adding, “Gov. Cuomo, I urge you — don’t dismiss the power of prayer and the ability of God to work in this crisis and in the ones we will face in the future. He is our hope, and we continue to pray for His mercy on our nation.”

I think that it's important to adopt Graham's perspective.  Certainly, millions of Americans have followed the practical steps of our governmental officials in limiting the sizes of gatherings and exercising social distancing.  The fight against Coronavirus is by no means over.  But, Americans across the country, including those who participated in the Reopen Alabama rally in Montgomery today, having been conditioned to take necessary precautions, are now saying that it's time to go back to work - and back to church.  God has shown us the power and potential of online ministry, and I would think that would be a significant tool to reach people that will continue to be utilized in the days to come.  But, there is a consensus that it's time.

But, when we look back at what has occurred for the past month, I believe we can and should give glory to God; in fact, our perspective should be that when we see answered prayers - and we have - that we should give Him glory.  I believe that God is continuing to work in our isolation, and that He is working to heal.  His nature is restoration, so I believe we can confidently say that He is absolutely doing that.  Yes, there has been and continues to be, as the governor notes, pain and suffering, but that does not mean that God has not been in the recovery.