Quarantine, lock-down, travel bans, closed borders, and social distancing are among the most frequently discussed topics in our world right now. Informational purposes aside, there is another reason for the attention they’re garnering in our public discourse. They bother us. The basic idea behind these practices is jarring. Particularly for those of us who grew up in a culture full of images like “helping hands” and sayings like “we all need somebody to lean on,” it feels rather unnatural to seek a resolution to a crisis through isolation rather than congregation. Nonetheless, as we seek to live wisely, that appears to be our most effective and responsible course of action.

Some of us are just getting started, others among us have been sheltering in place for weeks now. We are hearing much about extended timelines for governmental restrictions, and seemingly every expert or pundit has a different prediction for when this will all be over. The frank reality is that none of us really know how long it is going to take before we can get back to a state of social normalcy, but it will undoubtedly take longer than any of us are excited to endure. It may be a long time before a lot of grandparents will get to see their grandchildren or before healthcare workers, who are living apart from their families out of exposure concerns, get to embrace their spouses or play with their children again.

This can all be quite daunting. However, if you’d like to focus instead on something more positive, perhaps consider how joyful it will be when our isolation comes to an end. When the restrictions are lifted and we can all begin crawling out of confinement, what will you do? Who is the first person you’ll visit? With whom will you share that first hug or handshake? Imagine the roar of conversation and laughter filling the air of a crowded restaurant as you gather around the table with your friends. Think of the tearful prayers of thanksgiving filling the room in that first church service. These are all comforting, beautiful thoughts, and we can certainly find hope and inspiration by looking forward to them.

Even more encouraging still, for Christians, is an understanding that the hope of these reunions pales in comparison to our eventual reunion in glory. We face an isolation more desperate than our present quarantine. Our sin is a sickness far more destructive and insidious than any pandemic the world has ever known because it separates us from God. But because of his great love for us, Christ died on the cross to pay for our sin (Romans 5:8-9). His blood is the antidote. He is the physician who offers us hope and administers the cure. Because of what he has done, we can cast off the bonds of our isolation from God, and because of what he has done, we know an incredible reunion full of incomparable joy is on the horizon.

We see a glimpse of this moment in the book of Revelation when John writes about “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen,
bright and pure”

— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 19:6-9 (ESV)

It may be impossible to fully grasp the magnitude and grandeur of this wonderful reunion, but just consider for a moment on what it might be like to experience it. Picture yourself, surrounded by members of every tribe and nation, saints of old, loved ones who passed before and descendants you will have never even met, full of unsurpassed joy and singing praises to the King. No sorrow, sickness, or death will hinder us there. This reunion awaits at the end of our spiritual isolation because of what Christ has done for us.

These are strange and difficult times, but we can find peace and comfort through it all by focusing on the hope that we have in Jesus. While changed communities and lost loved ones may alter our earthly reunions once COVID-19 is behind us, our hope extends far beyond this moment in our lives. No matter the outcome of our present trials, for those of us who have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no pandemic, pestilence, or plague that can ever take away the promise of that wonderful and soon-coming reunion.

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