Eight Weeks!!?!?? According to the latest recommendation from the CDC, they are asking for this social distancing to continue for eight more weeks. Now, I’m not sure that
the President or our governor will act on this recommendation, but our health officials tell us that may be what is necessary to “flatten the curve” for this virus. While we are waiting it out, have you considered that there might be some greater reason for this waiting period in your life? Have you considered what God may want to communicate to you through this season of life?
The Jewish law was given to the people from God through Moses. It was given during a time of forty years of wandering in the wilderness. At this point in their history, the people were fully dependent on God for everything – food, water, clothing and which way to go. When Moses stopped them at Mt. Sinai, he had to go to an even more deserted and hostile place on the mountain, give up the bread and water that he had been subsisting on and then WAIT forty days to receive the ten commandments from God. Now, the people grew tired of waiting on Moses through this time. They weren’t waiting expectantly for God. They lost their vision and had no idea that God was about to reveal some of His greatest truths to them. Instead, they grew idle, irritable, and began to fall away from God at a time when they should have been even more faithful to Him.
Doesn’t this sound a bit like the situation in our world right now? Perhaps God has something greater to say or do in your life through this time of waiting. Sometimes we have to go through a difficult situation, sacrifice our personal needs, and wait a long time in order to “hear” God’s voice in our lives. But if we grow idle and irritable during the time of waiting, we may find ourselves falling away from Him. Take a lesson from the people of Israel. Use this time to be sober, vigilant, and prepare for Him to speak - and then be waiting with expectation. This is a time in our world that will go into the history books. There will be stories passed down for generations about how we “survived” the crisis. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to have a story to tell about God’s faithfulness and His work in YOUR life through this time? Commit yourself to prayer, study your Bible, memorize scripture, establish devotional routines with your kids that will stick with them. Do what you need to do to stay awake, alert, and aware that God is still working. We don’t need to just “get through this” or find some way to “pass the time”. We need to seek out ways for God to get the glory in our lives, in our community and in our country through this… and remember that He is always in control.