Finding God in

a Pandemic
by Daniel L. Ramos III

The recent pandemic has shocked the world with its rapid spread. In just a
span of five months, more than five million individuals are infected across the globe by
the disease (World Health Organization 2020). The global phenomena has caused
rapid changes in society. From schools to economy to tourism, the face of normal
seems to shift by the minute. This unpredictability has caused mental and emotional
distress to many. Several studies have proven increased stress and anxiety due to
concerns related to the pandemic (Zhang & Ma 2020; Roy et. al 2020). And who can
blame them? Lives and livelihoods are in the line. These times are shrouded by
uncertainty and seeing the virus wiping the population is sending suffering and grief to
many families.

In times like these, people turn to religion for guidance. Religion alleviates
anxiety associated to uncertainty and stress associated to suffering. And it works. A
study reveals that wellbeing is positively correlated with religious beliefs (Kogan,
Sasaki, Zou, Kim & Cheng 2013). The findings are especially true in individuals who
have a high uncertainty avoidance—people who are anxious with uncertainty and at
ease with certainty. As to why religion comforts people in times of uncertainty and
suffering, we turn to the Story of Job.

Job and Being Comforted in the Will of God

Job was a pious man, a quintessential follower of God. But there came a time
where, one by one, everything was taken away from him. His possessions, his
livestock and even his children were gone.
 And so, he declared in agony, "Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the
work of your hands, while you smile on the plans of the wicked," (Job 10:3). He had a
lot of questions but not a lot of answers.

When God finally spoke to Job, he did not provide any either. He did not
explain why Job is caught in a terrible string of fate. He did not explain the degree of
His involvement or whether He is involved at all. He did not explain whether Job sinned
and if so, what wrong he must have done to deserve such punishments.

Instead, He challenges Job's ignorance with His omnipotence. "Where were

you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding who
determined its measurements—surely you know" (Job 38:4). In His statement, He
argues that His reasoning is far above everyone else's. We only see disasters in our
perspective but God sees everything in a bird-eyes view.

“ Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding who determined its
measurements—surely you know.
Job 38:4

This revelation made Job concede to God's will, "I know that you can do all
things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ... Surely I spoke of things I did not
understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:2-3). At the end, God
restored Job's wealth.

Job's response to his suffering mirrors ours as well. Like Job, we have a lot of
questions but not a lot of answers. We never know when this pandemic will end. We
never know who gets infected just by looking at people. We never know if we are able
to bounce back from economic and financial collapse. We just don't know.

But the story of Job asks us to trust God in times of uncertainty. Even if one
does not have all the answers, one can rest peacefully knowing that God has
orchestrated everything unbeknownst to our feeble minds and that our suffering is not
pointless. Admitting ourselves to the will of God is comforting to many as we are
assured that everything will be put into place. Everything happens for a reason. We just
don't see it yet. But one may wonder: what reason can ever justify the pandemic?
 Bringing Out the Good from the Bad
One common explanation is John Hick's soul-making theodicy. It posits that to
grow and mature, suffering is necessary (Trakakis n.d.). In another article entitled as "3
Ways Suffering Produces Sanctification", Ed Stetzer (2016)—a Christian theologian—
outlines how exactly suffering can be helpful to our character building. The premise of
the article dwells on the verse in the Letter to the Romans (5:3-4) , "We also rejoice in
our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance
produces proven character and proven character produces hope." Let's break it down.

“ We also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that

affliction produces endurance, endurance products
proven character and proven character produces hope.
Romans 5:3-4

Suffering and Endurance

In an online article, "Disaster, religion, and resilience", Margarita A. Mooney
(2010) shares her work situated in Miami with Haitian immigrants. She writes, "I found
that religious beliefs and participation in religious rituals gave people the strength to
face down the tremendous barriers to their successful integration." In the same article,
she cites another psychologist, Kenneth Pargament, who became influential in the
psychological study of religion.

One of his work aptly titled as "Anchored by faith: Religion as a resilience

factor" (Pargament & Cummings 2010) specifically examined the role of religion in
building resilience. Before Pargament, psychologists were quick to denounce religion
as a source of stressor. And it's partly true. However, Pargament showed that the
contrary can also be true, that religion strengthens perseverance and endurance
amidst stressful events.

Their thesis is corroborated by further studies that investigate the impacts of

religion in resilience during life-threatening events such as diseases (Choi & Hastings
2020; Yodchai, Dunning, Savage & Hutchinson 2017). It is clear that through faith in
God amidst suffering, we are endowed with strength and endurance. Believers then
have developed resilience in disasters because of their faith.
 Suffering and Character
Donal O’Mathúna (2018) writes in his article, Christian Theology and
Disasters: Where is God in All This, a slew of theological perspectives in disaster.
Specifically, in the section, "Call to Action", he wrote, "Meanwhile, living in this
imperfect world, God uses suffering and disasters to call people back to himself and to
act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him." These virtues—justice, mercy and
humility—are characteristic of the Christian principles.

Additionally, disasters call sufferers to solidarity, one pillars of Catholic social

teaching. In a study entitled, "The role of religious beliefs and practices in disaster: The
case study of 2009 earthquake in Padang city, Indonesia" (Gianisa & Le De 2018), the
researchers interviewed believers in the effect of their faith in light of the then-recent
disaster. Results reveal close bonding among religious groups.

This solidarity is evident especially in the Philippines where Filipinos have their
own unique ways of helping each other in the pandemic.

“ Meanwhile, living in this imperfect world, God uses

suffering and disasters to call people back to himself
and to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him.
- Donal O’Mathuna

Suffering and Hope

It is no secret that, even after decades and centuries of disasters, Filipino
remains optimistic. In an interview with ABS-CBN News (Esguerra 2016), Cebu
Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo states, "Filipinos are people of hope. Despite the
many calamities and many disasters we have had, we are very resilient. We always get
back on our feet."

It is evident that the suffering of Filipinos does not extinguish hope but instead
fuels it. This optimism amidst adversity can be attributed to our religious principles.
Romans 15:13 succinctly summarizes it all, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power
of the Holy Spirit."
Conclusion
We may have a lot of questions like Job. And we may never get an answer.
That's fine. Faith is enough to provide us with endurance, character and hope amidst
suffering and uncertainty. What we’re experiencing is all a manifestation of God's plan
that we may never understand. He measured every distances, built mountains and
oceans. We are just a speck in his creations, unable to comprehend His mind.

In light of the recent outbreak, it's important for us to trust His will for when the
disaster subsides, we grow out of it stronger, better and positive people.

Work Cited
World Health Organization (2020). WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
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and Quality of Life Among Local Residents in Liaoning Province, China: A Cross-
Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
17(7).

Roy, D., Tripathy, S., Kar, S. K., Sharma, N., Verma, S. K., & Kaushal, V. (2020).
Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian
population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian journal of psychiatry, 51, 102083.
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Kogan, A., Sasaki, J., Zou, C., Kim, H. & Cheng, C. (2013). Uncertainty avoidance
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Trakakis, N. (n.d.) Evidential Problem of Evil. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

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Stetzer, E. (2016). 3 Ways Suffering Produces Sanctification. Christianity Today.

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Pargament, K. I., & Cummings, J. (2010). Anchored by faith: Religion as a resilience

factor. Handbook of adult resilience (p. 193–210). The Guilford Press.

Mooney, M. (2010). Disaster, religion, and resilience. The Immigrant Frame.

Retrieved from

Choi, S. A., & Hastings, J. F. (2019). Religion, spirituality, coping, and resilience
among African Americans with diabetes. Journal of religion & spirituality in social
work, 38(1), 93–114.
Work Cited
Yodchai, K., Dunning, T., Savage, S., & Hutchinson, A. M. (2017). The role of religion
and spirituality in coping with kidney disease and haemodialysis in Thailand.
Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 31(2), 359–367.

O’Mathúna D. P. (2018) Christian Theology and Disasters: Where is God in All This.
Disasters: Core Concepts and Ethical Theories. Advancing Global Bioethics, 11.

Gianisa, A. and Le De, L. (2018). The role of religious beliefs and practices in
disaster: The case study of 2009 earthquake in Padang city, Indonesia. Disaster
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Esguerra, C. V. (2016). Pinoy optimism, resilience echo IEC message of hope. ABS-
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