Where is God during a Pandemic?


A congregant Brian Forman sent me the following "script."

Society: What about my plans?!

God: My plans for you are always better than your own. Don't worry. I'm going to work this all out for your good.

Society: We're not going to get anything done!

God: That's the point. You know how you keep spinning your wheels—always working, moving, doing—but never feeling satisfied? I've given you permission to stop. I've cleared your calendars for you! Your worth isn't tied to busyness or accomplishment. All you have to do is take care of each other.

Society: What does this all mean?

God: It means I'm in control. It means you are human and I am God. It means I've given you a wonderful opportunity to be the light in a dark world. It means you are going to learn to rely on me.

Society: What are we supposed to do when we can't leave our homes?

God: Rest. You are always so busy and overwhelmed, crying out to me weary and exhausted. Can't you use a break from your fast-paced and over-scheduled lives? Go ahead and rest. Pray. Love your families. Be still and spend time with me.

Society: You mean we're supposed to stay home with our kids all day, every day?

God: Yes. And you're going to be just fine. This time together is a rare gift. The rush of daily life has come to a halt. Play games. Bake cookies. Work on projects you've never had the time for. Teach them kindness and grace. Show them how to endure difficult circumstances and steer them toward me.

Society: We better start hoarding anything we can get our hands on!

God: Prevention, yes. Precaution, yes. Preparedness, yes. But after that, it's time to put the needs of others before your own. When you see someone in need, help them. Offer up what you have. Do not worry about tomorrow! Haven't I always taken care of you? Now, go take care of someone else.

Society: Why is this happening?

God: To remind you that I'm in control. To bring your attention back to me. I'm bringing you together as families and neighbors. I'm showing you patience and perseverance. I'm reminding you of your purpose and priorities. Now is the time to learn and teach your children what this life is really about.

Society: We don't know who to believe.

God: Believe in me. Trust me. Ask me for wisdom and I will surely give it.

Society: We're scared!

God: I've got this and I'm with you.

Here are my three reactions

1. This concept of God is exactly what we need right now! In WJC's new zoom minyan in the mornings we have taken out tachanun and added in Avinu Malkeinu.  It's a prayer in which we call God "Our Parent, Our Ruler." It is God who is the Master of All.  That is the God you pray to when life feels out of control.  It is the God you look to when the burden is too heavy to bear.  This "script" is a beautiful articulation of the God who spoke and the world came to be.  The God who said "it is good."  May we all have the kind of strength that allows us to see the world through these eyes.

2. On the other hand... I find this unsatisfactory.  People are dying, people are seriously ill.  Healthcare workers/first responders are pushed to their limits and beyond.  We are having conversations that involve questions like, "do we have enough ventilators in the whole country?" I just heard a story from a doctor at a hospital.  He had to perform an emergency appendectomy on someone who tested positive for the virus.  He had to perform the surgery in full hazmat gear! That does not sound like a world in which God says "I've got this and I'm with you."  It makes me want to write a different "script" in which we scream at God and demand better, demand mercy, demand a world without suffering.

3. :) On still, the other hand... The world is always full of suffering.  People say things like, "don't worry its just a flu and the flu killed something like >50,000 deaths this flue season." that means the status quo is tens of thousands of people dying from a virus.  That is before you get to the fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, mudslides etc. and that is without even adding in the war, terrorism, hatred, and plain stupidity.  the world is a dark and broken place and we could get caught only seeing the shadows and pain.  This "script" is a reminder to "teach your children what life is really about." to "not worry about tomorrow... go take care of someone else." This view of God is exactly what we need to confront the darkness, not to avoid it or pretend it isn't there but to face it and to find the light.  This shabbat, I hope each of us can look at this broken, problematic, suffering world and still find the blessing and joy. 

Shabbat Shalom all,
I'll be back on Sunday
Rabbi Fruithandler