No doubt that phrase, “Our finest hour,” resonated with you – assuming, of course, you’re familiar with famous historical quotes. That’s the way we remember it – but that’s not really what was said.

That’s from Sir Winston Churchill. Here’s your refresher.

The Allies during this period of WWII were in dire straits. In his speech, Churchill was to express his feelings towards the countries of France and Germany. France was just defeated by Germany. He spoke because he believed that Britain should continue fighting to defeat the evil that Hitler was.

The entire speech is readily available for context. If you really want to do a deep dive and feel just a little thrill, you can listen to it.  Indulge me – I want to share the last few lines.

What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”

Here’s what I want you to note: We remember this as Churchill saying “our finest hour,” when in reality he said “their finest hour.” In other words, he was looking at the crisis they were in from some point in the future, with the assurance the British Empire and the Allied forces would prevail.

We did.

Now we are seeing an event global in scope. It literally impacts all mankind. We tend to think about disasters happing somewhere else. Even here in the South, where we routinely deal with tornadoes and hurricanes, we think earthquakes don’t happen here, because they typically don’t. Wildfires, floods, all those other cataclysmic events are “out there.”

I’ve wondered what World War III might look like. Is this it?

Not in my lifetime, or yours either, have you faced a disaster of this magnitude.

Guess what? We’re all in this one together.

The people of the world have the opportunity to unite against a common foe. The wonder of this is that every one of us can take part. This isn’t the job of some elite or specialized group. For sure, the government can do the wise thing. There are health care workers and first responders. Truckers are the cavalry, the knights of the road. Grocery store workers, convenience store managers, aren’t exactly working from home. They all have special roles.

But you have a special role. You can literally be an agent of change. You, you, you.

In an absurd sort of way, I find that exciting.

As a believer, I know this is all part of The Plan. I don’t want to wade into a theological discussion here. But could God have stopped the onset and continued spread of COVID-19? Of course He could. Of course He can. He’s God.

C. H. Spurgeon said:

All the hounds of affliction are muzzled until God sets them free.

You can ponder that. The one indisputable fact is that a pandemic is unleashed. What do we do?

You know the answers to that already. You might find the CDC helpful.

My question – will future generations say “this was their finest hour?” Or, more timely, “Is this our finest hour?” – right now?

Here’s my observation, and it really doesn’t center on the actual physical health issues.

If I’m discerning, I see that people under stress tend to reveal the conditions of their hearts. Many folks post some really funny memes, only to find that others are offended. Some people try to couch everything in political terms. Others feverishly look for somewhere, anywhere, to place blame – as if that were to make any difference in what has already happened.

So – what have you learned about your heart in these days? Who are you really? Are you self-aware enough to take stock in yourself?

Mercy. I sure have taken stock in me.

God knows the condition of your heart. I can’t help but wonder if part of His plan in these days is for we who are believers to discover who we really are. Does He want us to confront the condition of our own hearts?

It grieves me when Christians act like the lost world. We aren’t part of that.

How we respond to crisis (Do we worry out loud? Do we whine and complain? Do we feed into the negativity of others? Do we encourage, and affirm, and comfort others?)  tells us who we are.

Discovering who you are is not a bad thing. What’s even more important is that we see ourselves as God sees us.

It may just be as you ask yourself those hard questions you’ll see the need for personal change and redemption. That’s what’s happening to me, for sure.

Don’t waste this moment. You may never have a better chance to be who God created you to be.

Our finest hour? Hey, maybe this can be your finest hour.

Think on these things. And keep that six foot distance.