At the dinner table tonight, my hubby announced some additions to Boris Johnson’s lockdown over the next few weeks and perhaps beyond. The first got our 11 year old daughter excited – everyone to go through the array of cookbooks, choose a recipe, and the ingredients would be provided for each one of our five kids to cook up a storm for the family. She laughed and burst in with “starting with the youngest?” Perhaps we’ll let our little Judah off the hook at only aged three!
The second one I loved as Daddy announced that during our daily Communion together, we will each take it in turns to share a word or something that God has been speaking to our hearts. I dashed upstairs for my Bible and dived right in with my God word from that morning on social distancing. I bet you didn’t even realise it was in the Bible, well here it is. You can read about it in Exodus 33. In the previous chapter God had exposed the man-made gods for what they were, man-made! They were destroyed. Our man-made Gods of money, materialism, self reliance, position and power to name but a few have come crashing to the ground and exposed for what they are, fallible and man-made, unlike our infallible true God. He alone is worthy of the adoration, worship and adulation of our lives!
[7] It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. [8] Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. [9] As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses. [10] When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. [11] Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD WOULD SPEAK TO MOSES FACE TO FACE, AS ONE SPEAKS TO A FRIEND.”
Exodus 33:7-11 NLT
The tent of meeting or tabernacle as it was known, was the dwelling place for the Lord to dwell, set a distance away from the people. You see back in the day our sin separated us, sickness separated us – sin is the greatest sickness known to mankind. That sin and sickness led to the first social distancing known to man – our separation from God! Out of all the people on the earth, only one man dared to draw near… his name was Moses. Moses means ‘pull out/draw out/Deliverer’. In this day and age, because of Jesus death on the cross and resurrection (our ultimate deliverer), He has made a way for all to draw near to God again! Yet still, just like back in Moses day, many stay away! As you can tell, we got deep around our dinner table tonight as I shared with my kids that no matter what the world is doing with social distancing and isolation at this time, let us be like Moses and draw apart from the world and close to God, He invites us into His dwelling place, into His presence, into His tabernacle, into His Kingdom. Don’t hang outside the camp like the rest of the people did and miss out! A closer walk with Him, no more separation from God, social distancing from the world, yes, and the things we once clung so tightly to, yes, but let’s embrace this isolation that can be the best preparation for His power and presence in our lives! God longs to speak with you face to face, as a friend. We have literally been ‘pulled out’ of our status quo and I believe Jesus now longs to ‘draw us out’ from the ‘strong-holds’ of this world that can never truly satisfy to a rich and beautiful place alone with Him!
As we prayed and took communion together I felt led to do something, and dipped my finger in the cup, walked to the front and back door, and marked it as a sign on the doorpost of our home, as our children watched! Just like Moses, (remember his name means Deliverer), was a deliverer for the Israelites back in their day, God spoke through him to the children of Israel to place the innocent blood of the lamb on the door posts of their home to keep the plague and death away. I explained how much more we can trust in the precious and priceless blood of Jesus, our Passover lamb to provide protection over our home and indeed every home that will place their trust in Him, in this, our day! Coronavirus, Covid-19 and no plague can have its wicked way but it’s power is destroyed in Jesus name! “A lamb for a house”, that’s what the Bible says, not just a lamb for a life, but the Lord is drawing families back together and entire families will be saved! As for me and my house we will trust and not be afraid! Coronavirus (Covid-19) Prophetic Word: “The Game Changer”…
What is the Lord saying:
- Draw near. This is the time to seek the Lord (seek in Hebrew means to desire and require God as your vital necessity). Draw near, through Jesus there is no more social distancing from God’s presence, in fact he extends an invitation to intimacy with Him.
- Return home. God calls you back to Him and to the true simplicity, priority and important over the urgent in your life! “Hold Jesus tightly, people closely and things loosely” is my simple life philosophy. We may be metres apart in pubic but let’s hold friends, family and loved ones close in our hearts and prayers during this time.
- Lock down fear and lock in faith as you put your trust in Jesus completely and take communion daily. Read How to Stop The Coronavirus (COVID-19).
- For those in self isolation like my own dear mother, (pictured so beautifully by my brother in the picture above), delivering roast dinner to her this week, rest assured you are not alone, you host the King who sits on the throne. In the words of my mother “alone but never lonely, Jesus is with me”! To all our elderly and vulnerable we honour you, and as we pray “a lamb for a house” that includes you, our precious family, who can’t be with us today!
- The power of prayer and praise. The Bible tells us they rise to heaven like incense. That means, just like incense, our prayers and praise ‘spread’ and have far reaching effects. Let your prayers and praise go up continually and break through every barricade for the power of God will not be contained, but break out and spread higher, further and faster than any virus. Corona – I Will Not Bow!
PRAYER
Father God, I will trust you and not be afraid. I thank you for your presence, your power and your protection for my family. Bring many home to your heart at this time, as families across the earth have been called home, so you are calling many to return home to you. I love you Lord. I give you praise. In Jesus name. Amen.