Proverbs 22:3 – The prudent see the danger and take precautions, but those lacking good sense just go on as normal and pay the penalty.
Matthew 26:41 – Keep watching and praying lest you fall into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
We are all taking rigorous precautions against the life-threatening danger of the coronavirus pandemic. And hopefully we have made some prior financial preparations that will serve us well now as the economic fallout mounts. But are we anticipating and preparing against the spiritual dangers impending as this crisis intensifies?
Jesus, the night before His arrest and crucifixion, realized the spiritual danger threatening Him and His disciples, and pled with them to “watch and pray” with Him. He knew what He, and they, would be going through. And when the time came, He was able to carry through, but they were not. He had “watched and prayed,” and they had not.
We know that the escalating medical and economic dangers will bring with them daunting spiritual threats and challenges. Consider–if we become infected; if a loved one contracts the virus; if our path, like the Good Samaritan, brings us upon a victim in need of care; if our income plummets or we lose our job; if God would confront us with loved ones or “neighbors” in financial straits which we could sacrificially help. Will we be ready against the onslaught of temptations to live in fear and selfishness? Will we be ready for the hard decisions likely to come, because we have become established in being surrendered to the Lord, in depending upon Him, in seeking wisdom and direction from Him?
We cannot control the difficult circumstances coming, but we can be watchful and prayerful, in anticipating and arming ourselves against the spiritual temptations they will bring.
What will you do today to be preparing for the spiritual dangers you will likely face this crisis intensifies?