I’ll be honest. I was asked to read this short treatise about the pandemic. Typically I would shy away from equating natural disasters to acts of God. But I was drawn in by the cover and wanted to see how author Michelle Cole would weave the two together.

I don’t know Michelle or her theological background. But in the 40 written pages she presented enough information to support her theory, liberally and deftly combining facts about what we knew (as of the August publication date) and what God’s role — through Scripture and His characteristics, specifically His omnipotence (all-powerful). omniscience (all-knowing), omnipresence (present everywhere), and sovereignty (in control of all things) —  in the pandemic is.

There are no new revelations in the book, but there is the constant drip of reminders how our actions — otherwise known as sin — contributed to God’s wake up call. For all practical purposes, as Michelle states, “The world was brought to its knees by the One who created the world – God … This is God’s world. We just live in it.”

She gently yet firmly reminds readers in this very secular world, we have created God in our own image and after our own likeness rather than the other way around. “Sin is plaguing our land like never before: idolatry, adultery, murder, sexual immorality, theft, violence … When we reject God, we are headed for destruction — hence, COVID-19.”

While focusing the reflective mirror straight on us {she includes herself as part of “us”}, she also addresses how we have usurped God’s presence in our churches and schools. She also chipped in her two cents worth — with Scriptural backing — on homosexuality, climate change and global warming, persecution of Christians, and the “rich and powerful.”

Michelle concludes by noting “This global pandemic is what can happen when the world rejects its Creator. Sin is the root cause of COVID-19 … In a world full of darkness, we need to turn to the Son. The vaccine that the world needs, most, is a biblical vaccine. The name that is above every name — JESUS.  

The book wraps up with Cole’s own words, “Prayer, minus worry, equals faith in God.” ™ That serves as a prelude to a series of Scripture verses on fear, God’s omnipotence, healing, and the Prayer of Salvation.”

I give the book four solid stars. I ticked one off because it is preaching to the choir and rather predictable, albeit in a well-written and presented format.

COVID-19 by Michelle Cole. Paperback, 54 pages; English; ISBN-10: 0972217363; ISBN-13: 978-0972217361; Publisher: Write World (Aug. 8, 2020). Available at amazon.com/COVID-19-Michelle-Cole/dp/0972217363/ $6.99.

Kindle: File Size  651 KB. Publication Date: Aug. 8, 2020, Publisher  Write World, 1st Edition (August 8, 2020); English; ASIN: B08BK8MTKZ; Word Wise: Enabled; Text-to-Speech: Not enabled; Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled; X-Ray: Not Enabled; Lending: Not Enabled. Available at amazon.com/COVID-19-Michelle-Cole-ebook/dp/B08BK8MTKZ/ $4.49 or read with free app.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. — 2 Timothy 1:7