Insights Into The Covid-19 Church Era –Part XXIX
“After He sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening. He was there alone.” (Matthew 14:23)
“He who has ears; let him hear.” (Many New Testament References)
- Graphics in the corner of the cable new screen displays the millions of confirmed Covid-19 cases and the tens of thousands of deaths. Each day the numbers grow. When will it all end?
- President Trump produces another tweet storm, calling his enemies names, promoting another conspiracy theory, dehumanizing another political opponent, while baptizing himself in self-praise. No one takes his tweets seriously anymore, but they still are disturbing.
- Evening news reports the police killing of another unarmed Black male; unrest is inevitable.
Mustering enough intestinal fortitude, I turn of the television, shut down social networking, and clear my head of all this noise. Sitting in silence, I hear, “He who has ears; let him hear,” so I listen. I hear nothing. Sometimes it is what you do not hear that is important. The birds aren’t chirping! Why? The birdfeeder is empty, so the birds have abandoned ship. Like Noah, the doves are no longer returning to the ark. In a matter of minutes the birdfeeder is refilled, problem solved. Soon, birds are not only chirping, but they are singing melodiously!
“Sending the crowds away,” Jesus got rid of the clutter. What did he do “up on the mountain by Himself?” Pray. Effective prayer incorporates the art of listening. I use to think prayer was a time to petition, to plead, and to negotiate with God, usually on my terms. It is not! Being “there alone,” He listened. To whom? To the surrounding silence! There he could hear His Father’s voice. Usually the Father gave him directions, which he immediately followed producing miracles. What was natural to the Son is supernatural to the rest of us. The Father told him the good, the bad, and the ugly. He told him of the Cross, that would cause pain, agony, and death, yet he obeyed. It is easy to be reactive during this Covid-19 period. We grab our masks, social distance, wash our hands, and avoid large groups, but we don’t take time to listen. In isolation, Jesus found hi Father’s voice.
So I ask, “What do you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit tell you during this pandemic? What is he telling the Church? How are you to further the kingdom of God during this time? Maybe through all this God wants to revive His people by making “all things new (Revelation 21:5). He wants to create “new” life by pouring “new” wine into “new” wineskins.
Like Moses, many of us want to see a burning bush with a Cecil Be Demille’s voice booming instructions on how to take on Pharaoh. But Jesus says to isolate yourself and hear My Spirit’s soft voice. Personally, I was learning how to journal by listening for the Spirit’s voice. I wrote, “Anthony, I know you like to talk; I’ve been listening to you, but I like to talk too! Are you willing to listen?” Ouch! He knows me too well. That changed the way I now pray. Only after listening does my prayers become a dialogue.
During this Covid-19 period don’t freak out or fill your head, heart, and spirit with negativity. Find an isolated place. Covid-19 has created a lot of those places. Then…
Stop what you are doing!
Listen in the silence…
And be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s voice and directions.
You will not only survive in this Covid-19 tainted world; you will thrive and be a “game changer”.