This article appeared in the April/May/June 2021 issue of testimony/Enrich, a quarterly publication of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. © 2021 The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Used with permission. Visit testimonyenrich.ca.

Until 2020 I hadn’t given much thought to a pandemic. It just never crossed my mind—I was occupied with other matters. I’m pretty much retired now, but I was still keeping busy from day to day. Then I became aware overnight, as you did, that not just Canada, but the entire world, was likely going to be ravaged by COVID-19. To be honest, I was initially afraid, more for my grandchildren than for myself. I’ve lived my “threescore years and ten” plus, but what will this crisis mean to them?  How will the “new normal” affect their futures, plans, goals and aspirations?  In mid-summer we had initial signs that the curve was “flattening,” yet the cases have since continued to increase. Worldwide, nearly three million people have died, and the number of confirmed cases nears 120 million. Here in Canada the confirmed number who have the virus is close to one million and just over 20,000 have died. Not since the last pandemic in 1918-19 has the world seen such devastation from disease; world wars, yes, but not a virus!

Once Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. They must have observed Him in prayer, and they were captivated by what they saw and heard. Luke 11:1 records them simply asking, “Lord, teach us to pray …” And Jesus gave them what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer.”

From the start of the pandemic, I have been asking every day, “Lord, teach me!” Teach me how to live my life during this time of international crisis. Teach me how I should act and react in the midst of all the staggering reports of death and loss. Teach me how I can please You and be all that You want me to be for Your glory as I interact with my spouse, my family, and especially my grandchildren. And I sense He’s doing that because we have been enjoying many times of interaction with them all via Zoom, FaceTime, and a new one I just learned about called Houseparty!

But I’m also asking, “Lord, teach us and prepare us” for the changes that are going to come in our lives, personally and corporately. What adjustments should we be making in terms of our stewardship, the resources You have entrusted to us? Will we be making changes to how we spend our time, our money? Will new priorities emerge? The medical profession has made adaptations based on what they have been learning; so have hospital ERs and first responders. We’ve heard about how our food producers have had to make changes because of COVID-19. Grocery stores have already made huge changes; even taxi drivers have had to adjust. Small businesses have been failing. So it seems logical to ask, “Lord, teach the church about what You have in mind for the future in terms of spreading the gospel.” Technology has proven to be our friend. Used constructively, there has never been a time like this for sharing God’s Word. “Lord, teach us!” And there is also theology. The Holy Spirit still empowers His people today as in centuries past. We read about it and we know it’s true. Will we let Him have free reign to use us in new, exciting ways today?

I’ve always believed that a healthy church is a growing church. Yes, there are times of plateauing, but those should be followed by growth again if there’s health in the body. But I’m wondering if God wants to teach us about new approaches to “doing church.” I’m hearing how online virtual service numbers have exploded compared to the usual numbers we would typically have on Sundays in our pews. Will we embrace unconventional opportunities to get the message out? Will we wait on the Lord to receive His marching orders and then follow in obedience? 

What if God wanted your church to give away a significant number of “called ones” to plant a church in a nearby heavily populated community, where currently there are no evangelical congregations? “Lord, teach us; Lord, show us!” I want to see what He wants to show me and see what He sees. This applies not just to the city where I live, but all over the world.

Just over one hundred years ago, The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada became an entity not just to render income tax receipts as a Canadian charity, but to spread the gospel around the world. It was deemed a “God thing” to unite our efforts—no one can dispute that. “Lord, teach us. What is the ‘God thing’ You want to lead us to do now, 100 years later? Would You be pleased if congregations came together for a united witness in an area where there is little to no witness at all?”

“And please, Lord, teach us!” We need His help to learn how to be more effective and proactive in reaching the homeless and the chemically addicted souls in our cities. I salute the tremendous achievements being made by churches as they go to the places in our cities where those people may be found. These folks don’t have laptops and iPads to plug in and receive an online Sunday service. Yet they must be reached, as Jesus Himself modelled when He was here on earth. They are among the “least ones,” and they are everywhere in the world.

“Lord, teach us …” We need to learn how to reach out and communicate more effectively with our Indigenous peoples. In Canada we have over 630 First Nations communities with a total population nearing one million souls who speak more than 50 languages!

“And please, Lord, teach us …” that nothing we possess is ours! Remind us that we’re simply stewards of Your resources that You have entrusted to us for a few decades. And in the midst of a “rock and roll” stock market, when so many are fearing for their financial portfolios, may we be generous about giving it away by tithing to our local church and, beyond that, by giving to entities like ERDO, our Bible colleges worldwide (including the Aboriginal Bible Academy), GlobalEd, and certainly to the support of our PAOC global workers in over 75 countries.

There’s no question: this COVID-19 pandemic has grabbed our attention. It just cannot be “the same old same old.” I’m not too old to learn; I want to learn. My prayer, as we face an uncertain future, is “Lord, teach us. Lord, use us.”

Stewart Hunter lives with his wife, Gudrun, in Stittsville, Ont. He has pastored various churches, served as superintendent of the Eastern Ontario and Nunavut District, and as missions director of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Recently he has been an International Missions representative for the PAOC. 

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