(Jesus said), “9He who has ears, let him hear… 15For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:9,15 NASB)
Many pastors, preachers and even lay persons have given many sermons and commentaries on the recent COVID-19 situation but what is God saying to you as His beloved child? Perhaps during this ‘Stay-Home’ month, we can be still to hear Him more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly. Instead of binging on Netflix to keep ourselves entertained and snacking insatiably that makes us fat, we could spend our time more wisely on praying with fasting.
Learning the Right Lesson
The driver floored the accelerator of his brand-new BMW 7-series and was travelling exhilaratingly close to 120 km/h. Just as he zoomed past the overhead bridge, he was caught by the traffic police speed-camera. He was issued a fine and some demerit points. He reasoned to himself: “Mmm… to avoid being caught again, I must be careful to slow down when approaching an overhead bridge and then I can accelerate again afterwards.” Did he learn the right lesson? Absolutely not. The wise and right lesson to learn would be not to speed for speed thrills but kills.
The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land. During those years, the Lord, out of His abounding grace, took care of them but all they were grumbling and complaining about were manna and water. They too missed God’s main message which was this: “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2, NASB)
Responding with Right Living
To hear God in these very disruptive, disconcerting, and even depressing times, follow this S.O.P. to ask of Christ: 1) What does Your Word say to me spiritually? 2) What do You want me to do operationally? 3) What do You say to me personally? Then, as righteous children of God, be strong and courageous and always abiding in Jesus Christ, the Vine!
In Christ,
Boon Tiong