What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light:
and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
Matthew 10:27 KJV
Coronavirus. There is no introduction necessary here because all the world knows what’s been going on in all the world. So I’ll just tell you what the Lord has said to me:
There is a second plague -- a plague of loneliness
This is not the loneliness that we are experiencing from not being out and about, from missing our friends and extended family, from getting bored at home. This loneliness is real too, and not to be minimized, but thankfully there are tools to help us cope like video chats and online church and the good old fashioned phone call.
But the plague of loneliness is not this, and it cannot be cured with the same tools. The plague of loneliness is the deep, deep loneliness of grieving in isolation -- being sick and afraid in isolation -- having to say goodbye to someone you love with no one to support you because you are in isolation. It is a plague of being truly and utterly alone, often in the very moment that you need love and support from a community of friends and family.
This is the second plague, and there is only one cure for it: the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The experience of Him as “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) The experience of Him coming with the weight of His glory right to where you are -- filling the emptiness and lighting up the darkness. His Presence -- how can I describe it?? -- it can be felt, and it is good, and it raises you up above the trials you’re facing and brings a peace and comfort that can only be divine.
David experienced it and wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” How could David fear no evil when he walked alone through that dark place? Because, he said, “Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) The companionship of God was David’s source of strength.
John the Revelator was exiled and imprisoned on the Island of Patmos when the Lord visited him and gave him the vision written in the book of Revelation. John experienced an amazing visitation from God in loneliness. (Revelation 1:9-19)
Moses pleaded with God to send His Presence with the Israelites as they journeyed into the Promised Land. Moses knew there was no way they could overcome the challenges they would face there without the Presence of God. (Exodus 33:12-17)
God has always wanted to come to us - His children - and commune with us. Now is the time to really press in to the Lord and seek His Presence. In His Presence you will find love that overcomes loneliness, joy that overcomes sorrow, peace that overcomes anxiety, and fortitude that overcomes fear.
