This blog post on How Christians Survived the European Plague which is also known as the Black Death or Bubonic Plague of the 1400s can possibly help you survive the current Coronavirus pandemic of 2020. I will therefore update it as I get new information or insights so please bookmark it and share it.
1. Emulate Oberammergau
The Black Plague in the Middle Ages had many similarities with the Coronavirus plague today. For starters many people were dying and there was no cure. However, some Christian were able able to survive this plague.These Christians lived in Oberammergau which is a town in Germany and they promised God that they would perform a Play on the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ every 10 years if He saved their lives.
After making this vow, no other person from their town died from the disease. These Christians performed the first play in 1634 and they have kept their promise since then though they postponed the plays due to the world wars.
Therefore consider emulating the Oberammergau Christians and promising God something if He keeps you alive through this current Covid19 pandemic.
For example you can promise to do something that involves spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ just like they did. This is because at that time (around 1400s) Bibles were very rare and so many people knew about the events of the life of Jesus Christ by watching plays about it.
So consider preaching to the community that you have access to at this time of social distancing and quarantine or support the ministries that minister the Word of God like Christian Stress Management or any other ministry that God leads you to.
In addition once the current covid19 pandemic is over, try to visit Oberammergau in Germany so that you can see the Passion Play and experience this rich Christian history of a people who made a pact with God.
This bargaining with God or promising God to do something for Him if He does something for you is biblical because we can see several examples of people who did it in the Bible.
a. Jacob's Promise to God
When Jacob was sent to Padan Aram by his father to look for a wife, one night he dreamt of a ladder that stretched from earth to heaven which had angels ascending and descending with the Lord God standing above it.When Jacob woke up he made a vow saying, "If God will be with me and keep me on this journey that I am going and give me food to eat and clothing to wear so that I return to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God and this stone that I have set as a pillar shall be God's house and I will give You a tenth of all that You give me." (Genesis 28:20-22)
Thus we can see that Jacob asked God for God's presence, God's protection and God's provision in exchange for serving God as his God and tithing.
We know that God kept His end of the agreement and protected Jacob because when he started his journey to return back to Padan Aram, Laban begun to pursue him but God appeared to Laban in a dream and told him, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad." (Genesis 31:24)
When Laban caught up with him, he even confessed "It is in my power to harm you but the God of your father spoke to me last night and told me, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad." (Genesis 31:29)
So God protected Jacob from Laban harming him by speaking badly to him and harming him physically.
God also kept his side of the bargain and His Presence was with Jacob because Jacob said to Laban, "Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac had been with me, surely you would have sent me away empty-handed." (Genesis 31:42) This was because Jacob had had worked for Laban for 20 years and in those years his wages had been changed 10 times.
God had also blessed Jacob with a lot of food to eat because as he was returning home, he prepared a gift for his brother Esau that included 200 female goats, 20 males goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels with their colts, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 foals. (Genesis 32:13-15)
Thus we can see that Jacob was very rich even by today's standard because a person who can give away a gift of this value, is extremely wealthy.
b. Hannah's Promise to God
Hannah made a vow saying, "O Lord of hosts, if You will look on the affliction of Your maidservant and ... give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life." (1 Samuel 1:11)God blessed Hannah with a baby boy known as Samuel and she fulfilled her end of the deal by taking him to the temple to serve God.
c.Jephthah's Promise to God
Jephthah made a vow to the Lord saying, "If You will deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return shall be the Lord's and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." (Judges 11:30-31)God gave Jephthah victory over the Ammonites and Jephthah kept his end of the bargain by offering up his daughter.
Thus we can see that Jacob, Hannah and Jephthah make a deal with God to receive His presence, His provision, His protection, His blessings in the form of a baby and victory in battles with their enemies.
Therefore consider promising God something if He saves your life and that of your family members from this coronavirus pandemic. However, as you do so, Do not be rash with your mouth and do not let your mouth utter anything hastily before God because God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2)
Use Antiviral Essential Oils to Survive a Pandemic
Using essential oils was another thing that people did to survive the Black Plague or Bubonic Plague. Legend has it that four thieves of Marseilles who used to rob the dead bodies of the plague victims survived by using a blend of herbs steeped in vinegar that is said to have included rosemary, sage, lavender, rue, camphor, garlic and cloves.
Though the historical contents of their protective blend vary considerably depending on the source, the ingredients mentioned most frequently are cloves, cinnamon, rosemary and lemon and this has come to be known as the Thieves Aromatherapy Essential Oil Blend.
It is important to note that when the thieves were caught, they revealed their secret and this blend of herbs in vinegar was later used by Doctors who were treating the plague patients to keep them from contracting the illness. Therefore using these protective herbs can also be beneficial.
Using essential oils extracted from these herbs is even more beneficial because they are more concentrated and only a few drops are needed. This is especially true for those which have been proven by medical studies to have antiviral properties like tea tree, eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils. To learn about 12 essential oils with antiviral properties read Aromatherapy for Viral Infections.
For example one study found that
when tea tree essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil were diffused with a
nebulizer they inactivated more than 95%
of Influenza A virus and E. coli phage M13 within 15 minutes. (Usachev
et al 2013)
Though the coronavirus is different from the influenza virus it may be more beneficial to use these natural essential oils instead of commercial air fresheners which have been shown to emit that are classified as toxic by federal law according to this study and linked to numerous skin, respiratory disorders, dermatological disorders, neurological disorders (e.g. convulsions), hormonal disorders, birth defects and cancer.
To use tea tree essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil to purify the air in your home you will need an aromatherapy diffuser like this one which is sold together with the tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil as well as lavender, orange, peppermint, lemongrass, jasmine, nutmeg, clove and spearmint essential oils.
To use it, fill the water tank and add 4 drops of tea tree essential oil and 3 drops of eucalyptus and switch it on for 15 minutes.
To learn more aromatherapy diffuser recipes read Aromatherapy for Viral Infections.
You can also use these aromatherapy oils to make body massage oils that you can rub on your chest and feet to relieve flu symptoms like congestion and muscle aches.
Stand on God's Promises for Healing
To stand on the promises of God for healing do the following:a. Find the Promise
Go through your Bible to find the Promises of God for Healing (you can also find them in the book How to Fight for your Health with Bible Verses 3rd Edition)
b. Fulfill the Requirements
Fulfill the requirements that God lays out for each promise to be fulfilled.
For example if you choose You shall serve the Lord your God and He shall bless thy bread and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. (Exodus 23:25) ensure that you are serving God in some capacity.
c. Fix your Mind
Fix your mind on that Promise of God and keep it fixed there. If doubts enter your mind nullify them by meditating on that Promise of God. Is someone tells you that you cannot be healed, repeat the Promise of God to yourself either loudly or softly under your breath. If the statistics on the news paint a gloomy picture, repeat the Promise of God for healing to yourself.
Obey your Government
The second thing you can do to survive the covid19 pandemic is to obey your Government's directives. For example most Governments are recommending the following:1. Social distancing
2. Not touching your face
3. Washing your hands frequently
4. Using a hand sanitizer
Stock Up on Food
Stock up on food supplies that will enable you and your family to eat a balanced diet at least once a day.The following are the top 10 times to consider when stocking up:
1. Water
2. Dried beans - they can last for years without refrigeration
3. White rice - it can last for years without refrigeration
4. Salt - it can last for years without refrigeration
5. Honey - it can last for years without refrigeration and it can also be used to sweeten food and as an antiseptic for wounds.
6. Sugar - it can last for years without refrigeration
7. Dehydrated fruits and vegetables and especially those which boost immunity like blueberries and kale
8. Powdered spices like turmeric, black pepper and ginger.
9. Powdered milk because it is a complete protein.
10. Extra virgin olive oil because it can be used for cooking and for lighting.
Take a daily multivitamin
I personally believe in taking a daily multivitamin even if you are eating balanced diet to ensure that you get adequate supply of micronutreints. This is because the soils which many foods grow in are depleted of these micronutrients and therefore the foods we consumeare have minimal amounts of them.I personally take Centrum and I recommend it because it contains vitamin A, vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B7 (biotin), vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, phosphorous, zinc.
Sleep Adequately
Medical studies like this one and this one show that lack of sleep depresses the immune system and makes a person more likely to get sick after being exposed to viruses like those of the common cold. In addition it can also result in poor recovery since the production of antibodies and other cells which fight infections are reduced during periods of sleep deprivation.
Therefore ensure that you get adequate sleep which is atleast 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
Manage Stress Effectively
Medical studies like this one have also proven that chronic stress predisposes a person to developing infections and can aggravate conditions like coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Therefore manage stress effectively because stress also suppresses the immune system and makes a person more predisposed to developing infections.
One simple way of managing stress and boosting your immune system is by exercising for 30 minutes 5 days each week. You can do this in the privacy of your home by skipping a jumping rope or following exercise DVDs.
To learn other methods of stress management read Christian Stress Management Course which teaches you how to manage stress by combining time-tested principles from the Bible with medically proven relaxation techniques.
Pray
Praying to God is the most important thing you can do because He tells us I am the Lord that healeth you. (Exodus 15:26)Click here to read some Prayers for Health and Healing
Click here to read War Room Prayer Strategy for Your Health
Click here to read How to Strengthen your Faith for Healing
Click here to read How to Receive your Healing Miracle
Click here to read Psalm 91 Devotional
Click here to buy How to Fight for your Health with Bible Verses 3rd Edition
What are you doing to survive the coronavirus pandemic? Share with us in the comments.
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