As the Covid-19 makes its way across the world, this little virus is bringing the economies, industries, and the day to day lives of many nations to their knees. In one fell swoop, our lives have been radically simplified. Suddenly we all have had to cancel plans, meetings, trips, business, studies. The noise of our daily lives has been shut off.
For many the correlation is clear: this virus is forcing everyone into what the Bible calls in Hebrew Shabbat Shabbatone or a Sabbath of rest—a day that is not actually the Sabbath, but is treated as a Sabbath of solemn rest. “Solemn rest” means that we seek Him as our rest and honor it by not going our own way, doing as we please or speaking idle words (Isaiah 58:13-14). It is a rest in which we find our joy in the Lord, not in binging the latest series on Netflix.
As believers, we understand the meaning of this: many of us, particularly those who work in ministry, the significance of our daily activities, even activity done of service of the Lord, has evaporated in the light of standing alone in the presence of the only One who matters. And perhaps our activity looks sorely empty if we realize that we have long neglected this first Love, that we have not sat at His feet for a long time.
An Invitation
God is clearly calling His bride to a time of separation unto Him, to spend time at His feet, to go deeper into His presence while all the noise and distractions of our lives have mercifully been turned off. In that place He wants to purify us, fan the flames of our love for Him and to prepare us to be the holy priesthood He intended us to be.
Repentance and Sanctification
We have experienced something incredible from our members at Tiferet Yeshua in response to this crisis: a spiritual awakening! While our weekly prayer meetings had ten to twelve participants, now we are holding prayer meetings online with over thirty people attending; everyone’s prayers are of repentance, crying out to God to prepare and mature His bride, for unity in the Body, sanctification, calling for the Lord to use this crisis to bring people to a saving knowledge of Yeshua the Messiah. May we all continue in this place in His grace all over the world as the Lord causes us all together as His Body to reach the full measure of the fullness of Messiah! (Ephesians 4:13)
Robin Davis says:
Praise His Holy name. Our Alpha and Omega. Our redeemer. Thank you for your Word to lead and guide us. May your people never take their eyes off you. Glory to YOU
janet smith sireci says:
praise the Lord for your ministry.
Marilyn Plott says:
THIS is the article I have been waiting for ! My heart rejoices in everything wrote, for I have spoken this and said this to others. . . . I just didn’t the the wonderful way you wrote this. . .. . THANK YOU
I am forwarding to all those I love and will listen . . . . Praise our Y eshua Our glorious and soon returning Messiah
Halleluia, Glorious , Savior, King of Kings and LORD of LORDS
Affecionately,
Marilyn
Susan David says:
Come Lord Jesus!!!
Draw us more and more to yourself and prune us so that we may come to the measure of the stature and fullness of Yeshua your one and only son. Amen.
Lonnie says:
Your words bring the sense of our lives being simplified unto God as opposed to diminished in the natural. A time to find the difference between grateful and indulged. It now feels like we are praying WITH Israel and not just FOR you.
David Bowen says:
Yeshua self isolated at the beginning of his ministry – not because he had a virus but to empower him for what was to come. Perhaps God’s people worldwide are being prepared for an amazing move of the Spirit. How exciting is that?
Herborg Deborah Aamodt says:
Shalom!
Elohim gave me a word at Shabbat, friday evening. It was from 2 Krøn 7:13-14 . It seems to be exactly in what happen today. If we as belivers do what he is tells us there, he will come and heal the land. Ask him what is evil. When we read the bible we can see that when we mixe our belive wth something not from him ,it is evil. The hole christianity is evil in his eays,because it do se some of the kings in the bible. I stopped with all this in 2007 and started do what the bible say, sabbat and Elohim’s feast. Blessings Herborg Deborah Aamodt.