Awhile back I saw a cartoon of a toilet paper bunker with two eyes peering out, indicating that someone was hiding inside. It made me laugh so hard. This was during the mad rush on toilet paper in the early stages of COVID hitting the scenes. I felt that image being called to mind again and again as I faced each day of this COVID crisis. Back in March, most of us felt the urge to stock up, particularly on the items that seemed to be the ones everyone else was stocking up on. Did you find yourself wondering why you needed 50 rolls of toilet paper and 10 bags of dried beans? I did. But yet somehow the empty shelves made me think… maybe I should have bought more. So many of us looked to the other sheep to see how to respond, when really we simply needed a Shepherd to lead us. The result of following the herd is fear, panic, and well – empty shelves. The Bible tells us that we are God’s sheep (Psalm 100) and He is our Shepherd (Ps 23). Sheep need a shepherd or else they blindly follow the other sheep. Toilet paper anyone?
The urgency we feel to store up is accurate, it is simply the avenue that is not. Yes – we do need to stockpile! We have just misinterpreted the invitation ringing in our spirits.
In Matthew 6:25-33 we are called to not worry about a thing. “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?” We also read in Matthew 6:19-20 “don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures, but instead stockpile heavenly treasures”. So what are the heavenly treasures we are being invited to store up on?
I believe we find the answer in Matthew 25:1-13. This scripture is about the ten maidens waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. Five of the women had oil in their lamps and the other five did not. The bridegroom in this story represents Jesus and the oil represents the Holy Spirit. I am feeling that this is a critical season to stockpile on oil for our lamps. The good news is that there is an unlimited supply of oil! Let us follow our Shepherd during this time, not the other sheep. He will guide us, and he will fill us to overflowing – which is what we are all sensing an urgency for to begin with. Let us turn our invitation to stockpile into a stockpiling of the Holy Spirit within us. Let us fill our lamps so we are ready for an encounter with Jesus. Let us prepare our hearts and be filled to overflowing, so we are prepared for the season that is upon us.
“Behold, your King is coming to you” (Zech 9:9)