Not An Evil Intent, But A Virus

It will be interesting to see what the long term effect of this corona virus outbreak will be. I think many will consider how vulnerable we are to international trade, international relations in economy and health. Perhaps there will be a push for being more self sufficient, or perhaps to spread out the contracts for production of vital parts or products. I was told that more than 90% of Ibuprofen I USA is manufactured in China. An unspecified amount of other vital drugs are produced there, too. I have seen videos explaining the economic dependency of Chinese productions plant, from high tech electronics to car parts. Naturally the halt in production creates a domino effect in the supply line.
The surprising part was how vulnerable the whole system seems to be.

It was a virus that caused countries to shut down, make businesses to go bankrupt or to lose value on the stock market. The index has plummeted. People are scared. They may lose their jobs, and may not be able to meet their economic responsibilities. Perhaps they will lose their house.

It was not any evil intent, like a terror act or a war that caused the western world to stumble. It was a virus. As we all take measures to curtail the spread of this virus, we have some time to think.
We have time to pray.
We have time to be kind and considerate.
We have time to see that life is precious, and our true wealth is not in the stock market. It is not in our ability to earn more than others.
It is time to come close to God, with our fears and frustrations, with our losses, and find comfort in his care. He never promised us a smooth ride through life, but he promised to be with us in it all.