At one time, my 4 year old daughter, Mary Emmaline, had an obsession with “Moses Stories.” Every day at every chance, she would ask me to tell her a “Moses Story,” which was essentially any part of God’s work recorded in the book of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. One of the stories she loved most was my telling of “the shoes that never wore out.” If you recall, God provided in many ways for his people while they wandered in the wilderness, and one of those ways was preserving their shoes! No one ever needed a new pair of shoes, even though they were walking for miles and miles each day through rugged desert terrain. But “miracle shoes” are not the main point of that story. As I told Mary Emmaline, “miracle shoes” shows us a God who provides—even when we grumble and sin! Ultimately, we see this most fully in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Well, COVID-19 is upon us, and the majority of our public spiritual gatherings have been cancelled. Complications and frustrations have risen up. But that doesn’t mean God is done providing for us (or taking a break for a season). Instead of grumbling at a God who is not providing, we get to continue to worship our God who is blessing us richly! One way we see this is in the “miracle shoes.”
As believers in the God of the Bible, I can tell you with certainty that you wear spiritual shoes that won’t ever wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5). In other words, once God has worked his work in you (Ezekiel 36:27), the desires of your heart will be to seek after God (Psalm 37). Viruses, shelter-in-place orders, and everything else won’t change this desire. Of course, we don’t do these things perfectly. Sin gets in the way! The Apostle Paul speaks clearly of this in Romans 7:15-25. But by God’s grace, with the eyes of our hearts enlightened (Ephesians 1:18), we can seek the things that are above, where Christ is, rather than the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1, 2).
Dear Christians, your “spiritual miracle shoes” have not worn out! Will this season of life be a time when you place your God-given desire to worship the Lord in a primary position?
Let me put it another way. Being a believer in Jesus Christ does not mean going to the church building whenever the doors are open. There is a deeper level to our spirituality. Being a believer in Jesus Christ means worshiping God whenever you have opportunity. This means when corporate public worship is happening at the church building, of course we want to be there. And at the same time, every day is a day that the Lord has made, which will cause us to rejoice and be glad in him (Psalm 118:24). Don’t worry about the shoes, they won’t ever wear out—no matter the season or circumstance. So get walking!
“Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.”