I started this blog in earnest last May in 2019, after a couple of warning shots in 2018. My goal was to do at least one post per week, but most weeks I managed two. Last week broke my progress toward that goal. I could not stay comfortable with my laptop long enough to put a piece together due to back pain.

There were a lot of things I couldn’t do last week. I’m still dealing with it, but it’s much better. The pain was a “cease and desist” order on top of the schedule changes that this pandemic has caused.

The effects of Coronavirus have stopped many of us from doing most of our regular activities. Even those who still go to work every day have had many adjustments to normal life. May God bless all those who are bravely working on our behalf.

I’ve heard several good sermons relating the efforts to curb this disease by staying home and limiting our contact with other people to a type of Sabbath. Our culture doesn’t do Sabbath very well, and rarely even thinks about it. Yet, it’s ranked number four in the list of the Ten Commandments.

I won’t get into the Saturday vs. Sunday, or the “pick any day” argument. That’s not my point here. The Bible has a lot to say about the concept of Sabbath, and I’ve read quite a few good books that explore the subject. For this blog post, I offer the idea of moments in time where we hit the pause button.

Sometimes, it’s done for us – those moments where time means nothing. All our goals fall away. Our pressures and priorities are shifted because something more important has taken their place. This is an existentialist’s heyday. As a Christian, I look for what God is doing. I listen to what He is saying through this time. I feel closer to the Lord because I know He is my Source. I wonder how people who don’t know Him are really handling it.

The world is on pause or forced into a type of Shabbat. Only those workers who are essential for maintaining life are supposed to be on the job. That list is pretty broad: health care, truckers, farmers & ranchers, food service employees, government leaders, sanitation & maintenance workers. We are grateful for their sacrifice. They probably don’t have the time to stop and think, like the rest of us are doing.

The toll on human life is huge, and the financial implications are scary. If ever there was a time for the world to consider how little control we really have, that would be now. If ever there was a time for us to realize our Creator is still in control, it would be now. Jesus is King of all the nations. Maybe this is a warning shot or a wakeup call. I hope it’s a re-set.

One day every knee will bow to Him. I pray that during this time, this pause, He makes Himself so real to many people around the world that with one voice, we can cry out “Jesus!” He was Yeshua, who walked the shores of Galilee and who died on a cross in Jerusalem. The same One who conquered death for us and was resurrected. The Messiah-King, who will come again, is getting us ready.

Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai!

Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!”

This is not the Great Tribulation – yet. It’s bad enough to know I don’t want to be around for that. We may have a long while yet to wait for His return.

The Bible says, “encourage one another with these words.” So, I want to end with encouragement. We have a great hope in the Lord. We will get through this. Things may be different, but we’re resillient people and can adjust. We’re resourceful people who can be creative with what we have. Most of all, I hope you are people of faith, who place your trust in Jesus as Lord of all life. His love and grace will see us through.

Maranatha.

Shalom, Dottie