WHY DID GOD STOP THE WORLD?
Dear brothers and sisters,
We find ourselves in a very unusual time. It is as though someone had pushed the “pause” button on life and our days have become without form, shape of colour - like a blank canvas. We don’t hear much other news besides “Corona,Corona, Corona” - only the occasionally something else gets reported - life has become rather monotone for all of us.
It seems like our earthly existence is revolving around the answer to the problem of Corona, while both question and answer are riddled with suspicion, conspiracy theories, doubts and fear. Obviously!
We all want to find a solution so that we can get back to living our lives. But let us not, as born-again believers in the LORD miss this wonderful opportunity!
Why did God stop the world?
Truly we don’t know, it is for Him to know and for us to obey and be available. All that we see is that God allowed the world to spiral into confusion and for the time being, most normal activity stopped - reminiscent of Joshua’s day, when the sun stood still in the sky.
Instead of being swallowed up by the panic or become complacent in the in the comfort of our own salvation, let us grab this opportunity with both hands!
The Lord gave us a wonderful gift, the gift of time. So often we hear people complaining that they lack the time to study the Bible, to pray or even just to have their daily quiet time or to reach out to someone. Well, for a season we all have more time on our hands than usual. What do we do with it?
God gave us a Shabbat rest from our usual activities. The great Jewish theologian, Abraham Joshua Heschel, in his book titled ‘The Sabbath’, says the following:
The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a wekk, we live under the tyranny of things of space. On the Sabbath, we try to become attuned to the holiness of time. It is a day in which we are called upon to share what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation, to the mystery of creation. To turn from the world of creation, to the creation of the world”.
Let’s consider how we can use this precious gift of time to further His Kingdom in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Let us make the most of this time. Let us love our families, sow into our children, build up one another in our marriages, reach out to the struggling and lonely - we now have great technology available to us! Let us reach out to our communities with the Good News of the Gospel and above all, let us PRAY!
While the sun and the moon stood still for Joshua, all the earth must have received the same unusual circumstances. While the rest of the earth must have been panicking and yearning for things to return to normal, Joshua and his army had a great victory! This miracle was granted to God’s people alone in order to fulfil His promises.
So how do we see ourselves and our role in all this? Are we fighting the good the good fight as faithful soldiers? Do we even see ourselves as soldiers in a conquering army or do we see ourselves as grasshoppers, doomed to the same hopelessness and fear that is gripping the world and are we looking to the same sources for our answers and for peace?
Do we, as good soldiers, wait attentively for orders or do we get a little too involved in the affairs of this world? “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” 2 Tim 2:4
Of course, we need to be responsible and make wise decisions but I am excited to see, after this crisis has passed, what God will have accomplished through us, His people. Let us encourage and pray for one another and let us commit our hearts and time anew to the dedication of His service.
If we press into the Lord with serious prayer and lay our lives down for His service, will He not fight for us?
Let us glorify Him with our lives during this time and let Corona not be a crown for the enemy but let it be a Crown of glory to our King who alone is worthy! God is making time stand still. We know that the Lord will fight for us.
The question is: “Are we fighting?”
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Yeshua, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb 4: 15-16)
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