How Important Is Hope in the War with Coronavirus?

            President Donald Trump has been savaged both ways by the mainstream media. They blame him for showing too much hope in the early days of the viral attack on America. Now they are faulting him for scaring Americans for saying that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans may die from the coronavirus. This begs the question, how important is hope in our nation’s war with the coronavirus?


            Last Saturday Trump said that he was sending the Navy hospital ship Comfort to the people of New York as a “message of hope and solidarity.” The 70,000-ton ship was sent to treat patients that are not infected with the virus to free up hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients. New York has the greatest number of COVID-19 cases in America. Another hospital ship is being sent to Los Angeles, another hot area with the virus, for the same purposes.


            How much hope can the people of the two cities gain by having hospital ships nearby? With thousands of people getting the virus and hundreds dying, I feel certain that the people feel more hope of treatment if they get the virus.


            Sunday Trump extended the “15 days to stop the virus” initiative to the end of April. It is now a “30 days to stop the virus” initiative. Cities and states have ordered residents to stay home, for all unnecessary travel to cease, and for all businesses to close except for essential businesses, such as grocery stores. This is all done with the “hope” that 30 more days of social distancing will stop the virus from spreading. What is this thing called hope?


            President Ezra Taft Benson explained why hope is important. “We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope” (“A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, October 1989, 2).


            We must place our hope in God and His powers to help us. He has the power to stop the spread of the virus. He has the power to strengthen our overworked medical providers. He has the power to protect our loved ones. The hope that I speak of is the type of hope that goes with faith and charity. We must have faith in Jesus Christ in order to hope for God’s blessings in our lives, and we must have charity for other people. This is the kind of hope that will bring us through this pandemic – hope based on our faith in Jesus Christ. I invite you to turn your hearts to Jesus Christ. I also invite you to pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to bless you with comfort from the Holy Ghost. I know that God has the power to help us, and I know that we must place our hope in Him.