By Callie Mitchell, SAVED News International Correspondent, Jerusalem, Israel
After more than a month of tight lockdown, the Israeli government has finally—slowly— started lifting some of our restrictions. Last month, I shared about how the Lord spoke to me through Isaiah 26:20, to go in my “room,” “shut the door”, and humbly submit to the quarantine, as He was doing a great thing through this. As a family, we sheltered in our home as if it were our ark. We have had a sweet time together, and we were spared a great deal of anxiety and stress that my husband, Devin, and I could feel every time we went out to get groceries. Even so, with each speech where PM Netanyahu would issue tighter restrictions, I would be shocked by the magnitude of everything, thinking,” This can’t be happening already.”
As believers, we know that these things WILL happen according to His word. The earth has seen so many promises fulfilled already. The creation of the modern state of Israel being one, and more recently, the events unfolding in Syria to align the nations for the Gog and Magog war, as well as an increase in people becoming lovers of self and falling away from sound doctrine. These matters all indicate that Messiah Yeshua is near his return.
Even knowing the glorious end of the story, I found myself fraught with fear one evening, and said to Devin, “It’s not the unknown that I’m afraid of… its because I KNOW God’s word… I know what’s has to happen before Yeshua comes. And I’m afraid of what we’re going to walk through.”
The bible compares the last days to birth contractions. As a mama of four babies born without pain medication, I know what contractions feel like. This Coronavirus is undeniably a contraction — and a big one at that. I paused and remembered that the Lord has always met me through every birth contraction with every baby. I was able to cope, not by focusing on the contraction but by praising Him that I would soon see my baby. I went to bed that night fighting that fear with praise, and the next day, the Lord brought deliverance.
The following evening, we gathered together as a family to read through the story of the crucifixion in preparation for celebrating Resurrection Sunday. It was my turn to read and as I shared from Matthew 26: 36-46, I identified differently with Yeshua’s prayer in Gethsemane “Let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as you will.” Seeing His humanity to not want to endure the suffering, yet surrendering fully to His Father, set me free. I repeated the same thing for myself and in a supernatural way that I can’t explain, the fear I was carrying was exchanged for the trust that the Lord would give us everything we need to walk out the birth pains yet to come. He will, and I’m praying this confidence in your home as I’m praying for mine. May His perfect love that cast out fear be released in each of us, In Yeshua’s Name. Amen.
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