Jeremy Camp on powerful, 'most important thing' to learn from COVID-19
Award-winning contemporary Christian singer Jeremy Camp and his wife, Adrienne, are encouraging Christians to stay focused of Jesus amid the coronavirus pandemic because He is “in it all, right here with us.”
In an interview with The Christian Post, Camp said he’s “learned a lot” about himself and the faithfulness of God as COVID-19 continues to sweep across the United States, causing thousands of deaths and prompting a record 6.6 million Americans to apply for unemployment in the last two weeks.
“In these times, I’ve loved John 16:33, where Jesus says we shouldn’t be surprised when we go through trials and says, ‘I tell you these things so you will have peace,’” Camp told CP. “He’s essentially telling us, ‘Guys, you’ll have trials in this life, whatever they may be. That’s a guarantee. But take heart: I’ve overcome the world.’”
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“The reason we have trials,” the "I Still Believe" singer said, “is because we live in a fallen world. There will be sickness and death. There will be financial issues, unknowns, and confusion. But Jesus reminds us that even in all of that, He’s defeated death and the sting of death.”
Jesus’ promises are “key” to hold onto amid the uncertainty, fear, and anxiety surrounding the coronavirus, Camp said.
“We shouldn’t be surprised, but instead say to Jesus, ‘You will always be my source of everything,” he stressed. “If you look at God’s Word from Genesis through Revelation, Jesus is all through the Bible with various names: the Alpha and Omega, Shield of Comfort, Prince of Peace, the Way, the Truth, and the Life — He’s saying, ‘Whatever you need, that’s what I am.”
“That is the most important thing we need to learn from this virus. Whatever we need, Jesus is there. He’s in it all right here with us," he added.
Camp’s wife of 16 years, Adrienne, offered said that in John 6, Jesus tells the Apostles, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”
“The disciples go, ‘This is too weird,’ and many of Jesus’ followers bail in response,” she told CP, referencing verse 66. “So Jesus is sitting around with the other disciples and Peter says, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”
“Essentially what Peter is saying is, ‘God, why are you allowing these things to happen?’” Adrienne contended. “In these times, we have a choice to make: We can run to the source of our problems — which is the enemy, Satan — and give up, or we can run to Jesus and say, ‘I don’t understand, but you have the words of eternal life.’”
The South African singer/songwriter recalled how, when Camp’s first wife, Melissa, died from ovarian cancer less than a year after they were wed, Jeremy had to choose to trust God even when He didn’t make sense.
“He often shares from the stage how he’s walked through an incredibly difficult time,” she said. “In that time, he chose to run to Jesus, and from there, God breathed faith and healing.”
“I’m convinced, more than ever, that Jesus is everything we need,” Adrienne added. “There’s no other place we can find supernatural healing and peace apart from Jesus Christ.”
The couple is behind the recently-released film “I Still Believe,” based on Camp’s story of love and loss. The film's theatrical run was cut short because of the global coronavirus pandemic but is now available across all platforms on premium VOD.
Despite low theater attendance during the film’s debut weekend, the Lionsgate film landed at No. 1 on its March 13 opening and brought in over $9 million in ticket sales. So that the Christian film can continue its success, viewers are encouraged to watch it on VOD.
Previously, Camp told CP he prays “I Still Believe” provides hope to those struggling with anxiety, fear, and doubt. The film, he said, highlights the fact that Jesus is the “hope and the reason why we were able to get through what we went through.”
“Of course, you want Christians to be encouraged with the film and I want believers to go watch it,” he said. “But honestly, I want the people who don't know Jesus to watch this because I want them to understand that the only reason why I was able to get through my trial and we were able to get through that trial because He was by our side every moment.
“Everybody in this generation really is searching for hope,” he added. “There are so many things and battles and divisions and all this, and people are grasping for hope in some way. And for us to present this [movie] as a 'this is difficult, this is the trial, this is pain and hurt and loss, but there's hope,' I think that's so huge and pointing that hope to Jesus.”
