Approached by visiting neighbor No. 3, who said: 

“You haven’t seen me lately because ever since I returned from my trip to Israel in January, I haven’t been feeling well.”  This got my attention, and I stopped working the puzzle.  “Don’t worry, I don’t have the virus, but while in Israel I became so sick that I had to go to the hospital there.  The tour group I was traveling with decided I should return to the United States and I didn’t even get a chance to visit one place where Jesus went.”  “Tell me more,” I said.  “Well, one of my childhood girlfriends is married to a minister and she had been inviting me over the years to go on one of their mission trips, but I always refused, mainly because my husband had been sick for many years.  After his passing, my friend called me and said I now had no excuse not to travel with them, and she persuaded me to go to Israel with the tour group.  So, I don’t understand why after deciding to join them, God prevented me from participating by my getting sick and having to return home.  And now with all this viruses going around, do you think we are in Armageddon?”  (Oh, now it’s God fault (and not the husband’s) and He is to blame, I thought.  Oh, Lord Jesus, help me to impart some comforting words to this sister.)

“Listen, lovie, since you mentioned Armageddon, I see you know a little bit about the end times and the Day of the Lord.  Don’t you know that perhaps you entered into a spiritual warfare the moment you decided to let go and let God order your steps. Heretofore, you had allowed your circumstances to prevent you from serving God and coming to know his Son, Jesus Christ, in His fulness.  By putting God first and going on the Israel trip, the enemy was loosing his grip on you…and he didn’t like that.  I want you to be encouraged and to thank God for loving you and being patient with you.  Continue to seek him and develop a true relationship with him that will be closer than a brother.  Instead of bemoaning your failed trip to Israel, ask the Lord to open new doors for you to walk through.  I ask this all in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.”  Amen.

Approached by visiting neighbor No. 4, she had a praise report:

That same evening, I received a phone call from my closest friend in my apartment building.  She apologized for interrupting my puzzle activity because she wanted to let me know that through prayer, God had just fixed her television.  She reported that for several days her TV stations were fuzzy and that she could not receive any assistance from the front office to correct the issue.  Out of frustration, that evening, she decided to turn to the Great Cable Man, whose name was not Spectrum but Jesus Christ.  She asked Him to adjust His route and come by her apartment and fix her TV.  She said she left the living room area for a few minutes and when she returned, she picked up the remote, turned on the TV and (by God) it was working fine!  We both shouted and praised the Lord with laughter and in awe of His sense of humor and His mighty works and pleasure to satisfy His children.

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As I put my puzzle away that evening and gathered my belonging to return to my own apartment, I heard the Holy Spirit say:  My child, yes I’m moving throughout this universe, to see if there is anybody standing on my Holy Hill blowing the trumpet in Zion, warning my people of the spiritual battle that is raging in the atmosphere.  Is there anybody lifting up the blood-stained banner for the Lord.  Whether the battle is big or small, I am in them all and will bring relief and victory to all those who turn to me in season or out of season; even for those suffering from the Coronavirus pandemic.

Scripture Lesson:  “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58