4-23-20 A Song of Praise, In the Midst of Modern Plague COVID-19

A Song of Praise, In the Midst of Modern Plague COVID-19 - Jamil Sadiq - Prayerchannel@hotmail.com
  
NIV Bible provides Isaiah Chapter 26 - the title 'A Song of Praise'; can we shout, 'A song of praise', even, in the midst of modern plague, COVID-19 as we are quarantined? Probably! It seems weird to our human ears. It could be disgusting by human ethics and standards. Might be some of you are thinking what the heck? And without any doubt your frustration and dismay is reasonable. No doubt, it is rational and realistic to think about it in such a way.
 
What the saddening and dark side quarantine bring into our lives!
 
Being quarantined, at homes, we are secluded or separated from meeting each other, every type of business secular or religious get affected by it. We are stopped to meet socially no matter it is to perform some business work or to execute some spiritual act. We are barred and forbidden to work as we were supposed to do couple of weeks earlier. Social gatherings are banned, almost; everything is shut down the public places, the church gatherings, even the small group meetings of 10-12 people are not taking place at churches or at homes.
 
Social distancing takes a place everywhere. The terror, the monster and the unseen enemy the COVID -19 made everyone hapless. What about vulnerable and sick people who are at risk? We are in great bewilderment, where the world is going on. How we can sing a song of praise?
 
But wait a minute please . . . there is another side of Covid; without any exaggeration, we heard and saw mostly the side that is dark, gloomy and sad but it has another side too. And that side is bright, high spirited, and joyful as Isaiah mentioned "A song of praise"
 
This side speaks about a specific call or a sacred invite. I believe it could be a specific call or a sacred invite for such a time as this. A call to do or achieve the greater things for our Lord and His Kingdom. Yes. We can see the wonders of our Lord even in this terrible atmosphere of COVID -19. We can live a life in these quarantined days having a perspective to be a surviving person or a thriving person! It could be a call not only to survive but thrive! How many of you can dare to say that there is God behind it? The Prophet Amos wrote down in such a way, "Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything? When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?" (Amos 3: 5-6). The disaster that we are facing it does not come to a city. The whole world is religion facing that threat. The people of every ethnicity, race, religion, color and country is in danger. Certainly, God is addressing His people in mysterious way, withholding a specific call and an invite for His people. So, His people not only survive but thrive!
 
The question to dig deep is where do we plug in? Who is our source in this chaotic situation? Fear, media or circumstances or faith, His Word or His presence?
 
Let me jump quickly to verse 20 of this chapter, where it is mentioned "Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling. . . "
 
Our Lord Jesus said, "Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father . . ." (Matthew 6:6). Can we dig deep it? Do we being quarantined, truly are able to bow down in prayer. Most of the time we are missing the true audience at public places. Probably! It is hard to say but the truth is this, there could be a possibility the real audience - God, is not present at public places but people. (Matthew 6: 5).
 
Currently, we can thrive for a quarantine situation keeping in view Isaiah 26:20. 'it can be a time of tremendous blessing as we sit, wait on the Lord and listen. Isaiah display the picture of this threatening situation in profoundest way and expressed beautifully how to handle it. He provided the solution to deal with this monster in prayer closet. We need to address God we need a private time, if we really want to get His attention, we need to be quarantine, we are supposed to find some secluded place. We need to address God 'so that times of refreshing may come' and He may have mercy on us (Acts 3:19) to provide the times of meeting and embracing and hugging each other joyfully. In the meantime, God wants to accomplish something through His people in this miserable time. Can we dare to stand with Him for His cause? Or, will we keep on ignoring it?
 
What does God want to accomplish?
 
Prophet Isaiah says, "LORD, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer."[Isaiah 26: v.16]. What is our situation in this miserable time? Are we the party 'That could barely whisper a prayer'?
 
v. 17 "As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, LORD. We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life.
 
Are we hitting news channels, Netflix or Hulu lulu more or are we hitting heaven, by spending time reading His Word, meditating it and asking prayer keeping in view His will and purposes? What is on our agendas? Our priority should be no more or less than "To know Jesus and to make Him Known" but we are busy in so many other activities within and without the church like Martha. And, Jesus is looking for Mary!!
 
Being quarantined, such a time as this, while there is fear, anxiety and distress, the spirit of despondency covering people, even in this chaotic situation, we can sing a song of praise for His glory! Do we have ability to see greater things to see revival for the kingdom of our Lord! Are we consider ourselves capable enough to use the keys of revival to see His wonders by shouting and raising and singing ' a Song of Praise'
Shutting and closing the doors and opening our mouths by keeping aside the fear, the media, the news and anxiety is the key to seek His revival! We can become a part of His glory! And, we can touch a revival - a revival that is certainly on the way.
 
COVID- 19 might take few more weeks or months, but it will be no longer! Who knows ADONAI, EL -SHADAI, YWAH GOD relates intimately to reveal deep or inner meanings of our lives during this time? This time could be special time to obey our Lord by developing intimate relationship with Him. Who knows for some of us He will reveal the deep, inner things of His heart, while we are quarantined. (Psalms 25:14).
 
By Rev. Jamil Sadiq

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