I think we can all agree that we hate the Covid-19 virus. We want to beat it with a stick; in fact, someone has actually invented a coronavirus shaped pinata so we literally CAN beat it with a stick. Sounds therapeutic. It has interfered with our lives in countless ways and in some ways we haven’t even realized yet. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks about life in terms of pre and post-covid timelines. I watch scenes in movies showing crowds at parties and games, people hugging and shaking hands without a care in the world and such a sense of longing overwhelms me. We all keep talking about a time when things will “get back to normal”, fully expecting that they will. But have you ever thought that God’s plan is for anything BUT normal?
If you read your bible, you will find that while there is some semblance of normal in the end times, things ultimately have to change in order for the stage to be set for Jesus’ return. None of us could have predicted this virus would be the catalyst, but God has always known and He is using everything we are going through as he weaves those threads through the tapestry of human history.
The question for believers is, why are we all clinging to what was instead of looking forward to what is ahead? We sit around pining for those pre-covid freedoms and our anxiety and frustration only grows- but God has called us to trust Him because something far better awaits. Isaiah 43:18 tells us this:
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
If we would only look around, we would realize that everything that is happening is actually a GOOD thing. God is calling His people out of a wicked world that is headed for destruction. We should all be developing a really bad taste in our mouths for the things of this world- a world that gets worse almost by the minute. So why are we all clinging like a toddler to his mother’s leg to whatever “normal” is?? Don’t you want a NEW normal? A BETTER one? That is what our glimpses are all about.
We have all been chosen to live in these last days, whether you consider it an honor, a privilege or a burden. Jesus gave us a foreshadowing of this time and warned us that in some ways the time of His coming would be familiar- we will still be eating, drinking, marrying, building homes, shopping- whether we are doing it while social distancing or wearing a mask nobody knows- but the point being it won’t look like the apocalypse just yet. We are told it will be just like in the days of Noah and the days of Lot- seemingly “normal” days preceding destruction. Those who had eyes to see and a heart to follow were warned and given an escape from past destruction just as we as followers of Christ are being prepared now for what is to come. But Jesus warned that if we are to follow him, we can’t look back in longing for our old lives. We have to truly desire what waits for us in heaven more than any temporary pleasure that this life could ever offer. Jesus tells us in Luke 17: 32:
Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
Lot and his family were called by God out of the wicked city they inhabited. They were taken out just in the nick of time and called to a new home. But they were instructed to hurry and to not look back. They were almost to their destination when Lot’s wife turned around, unable to overcome her longing for her old life and she was immediately turned into a pillar of salt.
Friends, while we as believers are called to be “salt and light”, this is not the way. We don’t want to meet the same fate as Lot’s wife. We can’t try to have one foot in this world and the other foot in heaven; we have to commit and if we choose to follow our Lord out of this mess, we can’t give what we are leaving behind a second thought. We can’t change what is to come, but we can press forward to what lies ahead. That has been God’s whisper to me this week- “press in to me, press in.” As we read His word and let it speak to our hearts, He will guide us all out safely with eyes focused only on an eternity filled with more joy and wonder than we could ever imagine.
Jodi
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Powerful message! Thanks for sharing your glimpse. Yes, to looking forward and not clinging to non Godly ways. The best is yet to come. Your words and Bible verses reminded me that God’s plan protects and gives peace. My part is to accept, trust, and not cling.
Wow.. this really made my day. Pertinent words for the times we Are living in. I’m encouraged being reminded that everything has a purpose. And timing. Because of this pandemic, I have really learned to hold onto my savior Jesus. I’m learning to trust Him and look to Him for my needs hourly. I’m thankful for what God is doing Cause it is drawing us closer to Him: )