1. The Worldly Outlook

In this situation of the pandemic today, the likelihood of one falling into despair is higher than ever before. To the people of the world, their hope is placed in the government to keep order in the country and to keep the economy from crumbling. Their hope is placed in the healthcare workers to help save as many lives as possible. Their hope is placed in the scientists to come up with a cure or a vaccine for the virus as soon as possible. The problem with placing hope in these people however, is that there is no 100% guarantee of them succeeding. In some countries, their government may not always be placing the welfare of its citizens as its top priority. Even with the best medical care, not everyone will be able to survive the virus. Even if a cure is found, there is no guarantee that the virus will not mutate and come back stronger in the future. The greater the hope placed in such, the greater will be the despair when we see all these fail.

We can picture hope and despair to be like a swinging pendulum. The more hope we place into something, the greater will be our despair when that hope fails, and the pendulum very quickly swings from one end to the other. Because of this, some people choose not to put hope in anything and instead choose to maintain an apathetic or pessimistic outlook on life. However, this is also not healthy. People like that tend to engage in escapism, such as consuming drugs or alcohol to escape reality. They also tend to have greater suicidal tendencies. What then as Christians, is the correct outlook on life we ought to have?

2. The Christian Outlook

Ecclesiastes 1:2
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

Reading this verse on its own might cause misunderstandings. In today’s language, this verse basically means that everything is worthless and meaningless. Life is meaningless. These are words that one experiencing despair might say. If one of our friends were to say that today, I think we would be keeping a closer eye on them, to make sure they do not do something they will regret. Therefore, we can’t just read this verse on its own. We have to read this in context with other verses.

Ecclesiastes 2:24
Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.

This verse tells us that there IS enjoyment amidst all the vanity and emptiness, and that this enjoyment is from the hand of God. If then there is enjoyment, why does Ecclesiastes 1:2 say that everything is vain and empty? Is there a contradiction? No, but it is because we have to view this life in the context of eternity. Yes, we can experience enjoyment in this life, but compared to eternity, this enjoyment is smaller than the smallest dot we can ever make with a pencil. It is insignificant.

2.1 Life is Short
James 4:13-14
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

This passage tells us that in the wide span of eternity, our life is just like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Therefore, every morning when we see the steam rising up from our hot coffee or milo, let us be reminded that our life is just like that steam that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

2.2 Life is Filled with Suffering
Furthermore, not only is our life so small and insignificant in the wide span of eternity, but it is also vain and empty, because it is filled with suffering. The Bible did not teach us that life would be a bed of roses. On the contrary, it teaches us that we are meant to suffer in this life. From the time that Adam and Eve sinned, all men are meant to undergo suffering in their lives. We can turn to Genesis 3:19: “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Jesus Himself also tells us in John 16:33, that all of us will experience tribulation in this world. These are the reasons why King Solomon exclaimed in Ecclesiastes 1:2 that everything is vanity and meaningless. Because our life is so short, and filled with suffering.

2.3 Life is Temporary
In addition, our physical life and the enjoyments we experience in this world are also temporary.

1 Peter 1:24
because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away,

This verse tells us that anything that is physical is in this world, our earthly bodies, our lives, are only temporary. One day, everything that is physical will pass away.

Most of the people in this world choose to ignore this fact or at least delay thinking about it until they are close to it. They choose to live in the moment and enjoy themselves, indulging in their pleasures. They place their hope only in the things that they can see, which are not guaranteed to succeed, and will eventually pass away. The hope that they have is not a stable one because it is a hope that is anchored in something that is in itself also unstable, because it is physical and temporary.

On the other hand, for us Christians, our hope is a stable one because it is anchored in the spiritual, in God who is ever-faithful and unchanging. That is why as mentioned in Ecclesiastes 2:24, the verse that we read earlier, it is not that we have to maintain a constant bleak outlook on life. That is, only focusing on the fact that life is short, temporary and filled with suffering. We are allowed to enjoy our lives, BUT with a different type of mindset from the people of the world.

To the world, enjoyment is a form of escapism, a way in which they can temporarily escape from their earthly toil and sufferings. They tend to let themselves go in their enjoyment, indulging in fleshly desires. However, for us Christians, our enjoyment is one where we are in control of ourselves, knowing that all of it is from the hand of God. Our enjoyment is one where we can have confidence that at the end of the road, there will be greater enjoyments awaiting us in the kingdom of heaven. Whilst to the world, their enjoyment is one that is only temporary, one that can only give them a false sense of hope, but will eventually end up in despair.

Hence the Christian outlook is one where on one hand, yes, we acknowledge the reality of this life, that it is short, temporary and filled with suffering. But at the same time, it CAN be one that is filled with joy as well, IF we understand that God is in control of everything and that we have a greater hope awaiting us in the future at the end of our lives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we read a few passages that can serve to give us hope in this life that is currently so filled with the despair of this coronavirus pandemic.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

This verse tells us that unlike the people of the world, our hope is not placed on any one man, but on God Himself, who is faithful and will never fail us.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

This verse tells us that the God who we put our hope in is a faithful God who will keep His promises to us forever, IF we keep His commandments.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

May this passage serve to bring us hope amidst the despair and the many changes that our lives are facing as a result of this pandemic. Let us keep our focus on the things that are unseen and eternal. Thank God.