"The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Fate did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that."
Above are the words of governor Andrew Cuomo regarding the number of new coronavirus infections in New York. Here we see a classic example of an arrogant man, without provocation, shaking his fist at God. "God did not do that." Atheists have a very backwards attitude when it comes to giving God credit. When good happens, they refuse to credit Him. When bad happens? Well, that's when the "problem of evil" is invoked. If there is a God, why did this bad thing happen?
Now of course, the atheist does not admit belief in God. Therefore, when bad happens, they must accept that the blame is not on Him. It allows them to not credit Him for the good, but the blame for bad must be placed elsewhere. So if God exists, obviously the blame must still be placed elsewhere. Where? Well, as it turns out, there is some wisdom in Governor Cuomo's statement. It is his belief that human behaviour matters. It has some measurable consequences. Right on, Governor Cuomo! There is an entire book in the Bible (Proverbs) that talks about the measurable effects of human behaviour. Act wisely, good things are likely to happen. Act foolishly, bad things are likely to happen. Moral good brings reward, moral evil brings punishment. This is just how God designed the world.
And that is rather the point, isn't it? God designed the world. This is what allows God to take credit for the good while placing the blame for the bad entirely on us. Think about it this way: Who gets credit for making your car, and who gets the blame if you drive it like an idiot? "Sorry I was speeding, officer. Blame Henry Ford!" No, it doesn't work that way. The manufacturer receives credit for your car, you receive blame when you abuse it.
A story is told of a group of scientists who decided that they were scientifically advanced enough to not need God. So they approached Him, and told Him His services would no longer be required. God replied "very well, I will step down, but on one condition: You must make a human being in the manner I did, from the dirt." "Easy!" the scientists announced. They grabbed a spade and started digging. But God appeared behind them, His arms folded, and His foot tapping. "Ahem", He began. With a gleeful smirk, He bent down, and told the scientists "get your own dirt."
Being God has its advantages... Turns out, everything you see today is His doing. The ground you walk on, the water you drink, the air you breathe, the seeds we plant to make our food, that all came from God. Every blessing you have comes from Him. Even the coronavirus is under His control. So, why can't He be blamed for it? Simple: We brought it on ourselves. Consider this humanity's speeding ticket. Our wake up call. Governor Cuomo embodies the very reason God has allowed this pandemic to spread. Now, I'm not pretending to know the mind of God. I don't know why God specifically chose to send this pandemic at this exact time. I don't know how He chooses who to infect, who to kill, who to cure. That's all for Him to know. But the Bible does tell us that sin is the reason for all the horrible things in this world. From the very first sin, committed by the very first man, right up until today. "Cursed is the ground because of you". We rebel against God, each and every one of us. Even the faithful are far from innocent. But some will not even acknowledge Him.
This pandemic has caused many to talk about Him, even those who normally would not. And that's good, because He wants the attention. See, there is something worse than coronavirus: Judgement. Judgement is coming, not only to the physical earth, but to every individual who has ever lived upon it. God will judge sin, and the punishment for that is not worth bearing. And so God sent Jesus to bear it. Jesus died on our behalf, facing the full wrath owed to us. Thus, we can be forgiven. All who confess Him as Lord and believe He rose will receive eternal life. Jesus cured the greatest disease humanity has ever faced. Governor Cuomo did not do that.
Disarming a likely strawman
Although I believe I made my argument clear to objective readers, it is foreseeable that less objective atheists may create the common caricature "oh, so you believe God sent the pandemic because He's angry at the gays?" We see this every time sin is invoked as the reason for bad things. Tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, they're all a result of sin, but atheists seem to think we're saying it's God's specific wrath against a specific people group for a specific sin. That is a stereotype, it is not theologically accurate. As I pointed out, God said "cursed is the ground" because of Adam's sin. In other words, while God originally created a "very good" world in which death was merely a potential consequence if Adam sinned, Adam did indeed bring about that potential consequence by sinning. Therefore, the world as a whole is fallen, which allows for faults to occur, including pandemics. Thus, while no one knows why God specifically ordained this pandemic, we can know that He generally allows this planet to endure tribulations. In His omniscience, He knows the end result of every shift of an atom, so He knows what He's doing. Us? Not so much.