I have been endeavoring to wrap my brain around this global response to the virus. I understand that today’s world is a global community thanks to technology and travel. Studies suggest that less than 10 percent of the US population travels abroad. Conversely, nearly 80 million international visitors enter the US every year. The data indicates that over 100,000 flights occur a day. That is a lot of movement for a small percentage of the global population. You can see from this information the impact international travel can have on the overall global population.
What does this have to do with a close personal relationship with the godhead? The answer is simple; on the one hand, it has nothing to do with it. On the other hand, it presents a very powerful lesson.
A close personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, is about hearing his voice. A close personal relationship means being close enough to hear the whisper of the Lord. Hearing His voice could save your life.
In the Old Testament book of wisdom, Proverbs declares that a loafer (or lazy person) will hear the voices of the masses, (stay away, the virus is everywhere) and crawl back into bed. There is a logic in this because the masses are basing their decisions on the words of the experts. In other words, it is better to be safe than sorry. As I understand it, a global population of over seven billion people has heard this advice—stay away, or stay within your “social distancing”.
Please understand that I am not suggesting that this is wrong. What I am suggesting is that the one who has a close personal relationship with the godhead has the understanding that he or she has the insight of wisdom to guide them.
Let me explain. The Old Testament book of Proverbs states that a lazy person hears the warning and goes back to bed; but what does the wise person do? The wise person considers the warning, but also listens for the whisper of the godhead. In this case, venturing out with an ear attuned to the voice of God.
I recall a story that may explain what I am endeavoring to say. One day, as a teenager, I wanted to go out with my friends; but my dad told me that I could not go. He would not give me an answer as to why, just that I could not leave the house. I was furious. A few days later I found out that someone in the group brought some drugs for everyone to try. At that moment, I realized that dad’s decision could have possibly saved my life. I knew myself well enough to know that I would not have been strong enough to not go along with the crowd. That day, my dad’s voice became the voice of God for me.
Another time I was headed home. While driving down the highway, I had a very strong impression to turn off the highway. I could certainly get home going that way, but it would take longer than I wanted. However, the impression was so strong, that I complied. It turns out that a few miles up the road, a very serious accident occurred. At the very least, taking the detour saved me time; or it could have saved my life. I realized that the impression became the “whisper” of the Lord for me that day.
The closer you get to the godhead, the more attuned you become to his direction for your life. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. The plan includes both the temporal as well as the eternal. God is more concerned for the eternal, simply because you will live longer there than in the temporal. This does not mean that he doesn’t care about the temporal. Jesus clearly dismissed such a notion when he told us to consider the birds. He said to notice how they do not care for food, shelter, or clothing; God provides these things. He tells us that God knows when each one dies. Then Jesus tells us that we—you and I—are far more valuable to him—the godhead—than many birds. Since we live in such a special place in God’s heart, we are not to worry about the daily necessities of life; he will take care of providing them.