– by Bill and Maida Brown

We heard the Lord telling us:
“When you have nothing, then you will have Me! When you have to depend on nothing, work, money. riches, food, etc. then you will realize I exist. That I am God. That I am the creator and provider of all things”

As we all face this worldwide pandemic, most of us are still in a stage of surprise and disbelief. The passing days are forcing all for reality to start setting in, our countries in lock down, businesses closed, very few people in our otherwise busy streets, most of us bunkering in our homes for fear of sickness. Our beautiful gatherings, pastoral groups and Lord’s Day Celebration cancelled or moving towards cybernetic “get-togethers”. Some of our own are already stricken by the Coronavirus.

What’s, next? Could we be moving into a long dark period of chaos and darkness? It has happened before! Are we ready? Are we prepared to depend just on Him?
We have to ask ourselves, did God create this crisis as He created the plagues in Egypt? He protected his people to later liberate them from their slavery. We don’t know, but at least He has allowed it to happen. He did not void it to happen. Maybe he just let it be!

May God be protecting His creation in ways we now do not understand? Have we been living as God’s chosen? Is His kingdom, which He established with His passion, death and resurrection the primary driving force in our lives and in our hearts? Have we become too comfortable and even if we call ourselves disciples, have we given enough of ourselves or relied on worldly means and ways for our lives? Are we content with our answer to His call and mission? Even if we have done much!

The Sword of the Spirit was raised up by Him to fulfill a mission. We were brought together and offered a “covenant”, which amongst other things has banded us together as a people and given us the mission to build a “bulwark”.

As a people, we need to stand up with faith and courage. We need to repent and respond! God revealed to His people in Egypt to mark the door jambs in their houses, so when the spirit of death came, it would not enter and kill anyone in the houses, which were sealed with the blood of lambs.

We should respond in the same way the Israelites did! This is the time for all of the SOS to come together to pray and with trust seal our homes and our people with the sign of the “Covenant” He made with us and us with Him. We also need to repent for blending much into the “world”, its comforts and its gods and ask God to protect us.

He protected His people in Egypt, He can protect us in this Egypt which little by little we’ve accepted to live in. He can bring us back home to the “promised land” with a clearer vision and with new renewed strengths.

His plan is not complete and our mission is not finished!

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Bill and Maida Brown are members and leaders of La Nueva Jerusalén Community in Miami FL, USA. Used with permission