Tag: pray

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What Are You Waiting For? A Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength; NKJV

I’ve always tried to practice the wise saying that says, “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.” (Proverbs 15:28) During this coronavirus pandemic I have not said much on social media yet, except to caution us not to live in fear because I wanted to be sure of what I say. The last thing I want to do is mislead anyone.

In the midst of this Pandemic there are many voices who have rushed to announce the end of the world is coming or that this is a great plague sent by God on an evil and unbelieving generation. I do not want to join those voices. They rush to pronounce a judgment that if it is true, only God knows.

Rather, I have chosen not to comment much but instead to study how to answer the cacophony of questions, most of which begin with the word, ‘why’. While I certainly do not feel qualified to answer all those questions, I do have some thoughts to offer to the dialogue. Here are a few things I believe I can say in response…

Questions: Why is this virus happening? Is it not God’s judgment on us?

Answers:

Perhaps, but only God knows for sure. But if this virus is a judgment from God to punish an unbelieving world, then so is every other sickness, malady and tragic occurrence that has ever happened. The problem with that line of thinking is that it misses the true character of God and the true nature of the world in which we live. God is good all the time – and everything he created is good.

All the bad things that happen in our world (and have happened since the Fall of Adam and Eve) are NOT God’s direct judgment on humanity; that will come at the end of time. They are, if you will, God’s indirect judgment. They are the consequences of living in a fallen world…of humanity’s choice to disobey God and to not love Him and our neighbor.

God doesn’t need to sit around and think up thinks with which to afflict our world: wars, famines, earthquakes, and diseases. All these things entered our world as consequences of sin, and the death it brought to the natural order. We should not be surprised when they happen. And, we should not look for a supernatural reason with which to blame God.

When tragedies occur, whether through widespread disease or natural environmental disasters, we need to see them for what they are – reminders that we are not in control of anything, except our own will in how we respond.

Our Response:

So, what should our response be? Our response should be threefold:

To listen to our authorities who are trying to help us stop the spread of this disease. Yes, even if that means we need to practice ‘social distancing’ for a while…maybe even a long while. I prefer to call it ‘physical distancing’. We can still be social through social media. Right?

To pray for God’s mercy for our world, this situation, and those who are suffering and dying and giving their lives to defend us. Scripture is filled with calls for God’s mercy, as well as promises of His mercy to those who seek Him. The great English reformer, John Wesley said, “I believe God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Think about it. God can do anything but why should He intervene on our behalf. God desires that we seek Him and His blessing. Prayer changes things.

To wait…scripture promises good things come to those who wait for Him to act. That does not mean we do nothing. A big part of waiting is praying, listening, and doing as He leads. It is in waiting on the Lord that we find new strength. It is in actively waiting as we pray that He leads us to answers, to develop proper treatments, and to find cures.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.” Lam. 3:25 NKJV

Scripture is clear. Have you not heard? Even the strong and mighty fall. But God gives strength to the weary…to those who wait on Him. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s all listen, pray, and wait on the Lord to lead us through this Pandemic, as He has all the others throughout history. Deliverance always belongs to the Lord.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

Image credit: https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus

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The Latter Rain: Celebrate Lent – Day 4

Jesus Calls Levi

27 After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he left everything, and rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table[a] with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus is always calling out to us, “Follow me”. The question is, are we listening for Him? Lent is a time for intentional listening. If we are not careful, the cares and concerns of this world, mixed with the busyness of our schedules, will drown out the voice of Jesus in our lives. Often, all we hear is our own voice echoing back to us as we lament over our concerns and worries.

But with the season of Lent we increase spiritual practices in our lives to help us listen for Jesus’ voice, something we should do every day of our lives. We listen for Him as we read a devotional and as we spend some dedicated time in prayer and meditation. We can even listen for Him as we are doing something intentional to serve someone less fortunate or some other good work.

The key to celebrating Lent and not just observing it is in the act of our being intentional. Instead of doing what we always do when we give up a meal in fasting, set aside that time for an act of personal worship. Acknowledge that in that moment you are aware of Jesus’ presence with you and listen for what He wants to say to you.

When Levi (aka Matthew) hears Jesus’ words, “Follow me”, he dropped what he was doing and obeyed. Levi was at work when he heard Jesus call him. The word tells us that he left everything, which likely means that he even left the tax monies he had collected. Suddenly, an encounter with Jesus was the most important thing to him.

From that moment on Levi’s life found meaning and purpose. He took Jesus to his home and held a great banquet for Him. He invited all his friends to come and hear Jesus as well. Levi knew that if Jesus’ words could have such a profound impact on him, then his friends needed to hear from them also.

Today, would you make some time to get alone with Jesus? Leave your thoughts about your work and all the things you need to accomplish and spend some quality time with Him. I promise you Jesus’ words will bring showers of blessings as they fall upon your ear. His words are the latter rain falling on those who hunger and thirst for more of Him. Who knows, you may even decide to throw a party like Levi did. Why not? It is Lent – it is time to celebrate!

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

Image credit: https://www.stephensizer.com/2018/01/the-call-of-jesus-follow-me-john-143-51/. https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/6205/why-is-worship-important