Year of the Rat

It was deja vu. As I started my pastorate 17 years ago in my church, the SARS epidemic was about to break into the scene and I remembered praying with my church staff for 2 months and SARS never came to Sabah. Now the Year of the Rat ushered in a new virus originated from Wuhan. It was particularly worrying for Sabahans as there are direct flights between KK and Wuhan. Only last Thursday due to the Chinese government action, all flights were stopped. Why did Sabah state government not acted earlier was beyond me? But we prayed from a fortnight ago. Yesterday was prayer meeting but because of the reunion dinner, I skipped the prayer meeting but my spirit was present with the intercessors.
Why did both SARS and Wuhan virus come from China? Scientists have traced the origins of the outbreak from a wild animal market in Wuhan. A section of the Chinese populace loves wild and exotic animals, the carriers of all kinds of germs and viruses. It is time to put a stop to all these with governmental action but Chinese habits die hard as in every culture and trait, we simply can’t change our behaviour unless heaven touches our inner most beings and we are transformed into a new man in Christ. I read many passages last night until past midnight. A man’s enemies are within his household (Micah). Jesus even said, “a son will dishonour his father and a daughter her mother..” quoting the Micah verse. There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. Paul the apostle says that at the end times, times will become hard..”people will become aggressive, disobedient to parents, proud, ungrateful, unholy, brutal, conceited, irreconcilable, boastful and all manners of evil..” (2 Tim 3:1-4).