Is the vaccine our greatest hope?
When news of the Pfizer vaccine was announced, I remember jumping for joy. Already stock markets were rebounding and people were letting their hair down. Then came the many developments in Malaysia, and the first batch by Pfizer is now due to arrive end-February.
The vaccine is now the talk of town and a hot topic of discussion. Who will get it first? How will it be distributed? Will it be free or will we have to pay? The one I hear most often is, “Will you be taking it?” (It’s not compulsory at the moment).
Some people won’t have a choice, because they’re frontliners. Some people are cautious and think they should wait. Very few are staunch anti-vaxxers, but many just don’t want to be the first batch of “guinea pigs”. I even joked with a friend that it’s like buying the new iPhone; let’s wait for the second batch!
A silver bullet for our problems
Some may view the vaccine as a miracle jab to solve all our Covid-related problems. Once we’re inoculated, we can go back to being free and frivolous, and life will be back to normal. With the shot, we’ll be strong, immune… invincible almost!
>>READ: Why can’t we have a 100%-effective vaccine?
>>READ: Enduring our “winters” while clinging to God’s hope
But at this stage there are still many unknowns, and the situation is developing on a day to day basis. New variants and mutations are appearing, and clinical trials are still underway. The vaccine is yet to be tested on different age groups, and potential complications are still unknown.
How then, can anyone be 100% sure of anything? Could this be the reason why some are hesitant to take the vaccine? Perhaps they know, deep down in their hearts, that there are no guarantees in this life, and that our hopes are misplaced in a finite and fragile world.
Christ is our greatest hope
As Christians, our hope is not based on what we can do or achieve, but from someone beyond ourselves that is infinite – the living God. In Him we have the hope of eternal life, promised from the beginning when Jesus died for our sins. He is our greatest and only hope in times of crisis.
>>READ: “Finding hope in despair” by Bill Crowder
>>DOWNLOAD: “Hope in Hard Times” by Our Daily Bread
The vaccine may be the solution for Covid-19 right now, but it is not and never will be the ultimate solution to sickness and death. Our hopes must be placed in the Creator himself, who gave us life in the physical and in the eternal. This hope is 100% guaranteed and assured, and will not fail as things in our fallen world are bound to.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.
– Edward Mote (1837)
About the Author
Wan Phing Lim is a contributor to Our Daily Bread Ministries Malaysia. Born and raised in Penang, she studied Politics before turning to a career in writing. She loves coffee, books and films.
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