We read in yesterday’s My Utmost For His Highest John 21:17, the almost easy-to-skip-over words: “feed my sheep.” Jesus’ words to Peter are not just for Peter, are they? Everyone who reads this Word of God, the Bible, needs to be open to the Holy Spirit to speak, individually, regardless of ministerial status, for we are “a royal priesthood.”

This business of ‘feeding’ is pretty simple-it’s providing nourishment. So when we ‘nourish’ another, we are ‘feeding’ them. Obviously the Bible teachers of our faith are the ones we think of first, as we ‘expect’ them to feed us, by teaching us the Scriptures. Whether we ‘take and eat’ the food provided is another thing entirely! But there are many other ways we Christians can provide nourishment to one another, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And, amazingly, the Holy Spirit can ‘speak’ to us through other people, even in a so-called non-Christian environment or way. This is what I want to share about today, as I encountered such a wonderful ‘word from God’ from a totally unexpected source.

In planning an overseas trip, which requires both airline tickets and hotel reservations to be paid for in advance, one is wise to purchase trip insurance. This insurance covers a multitude of possible problems one might incur, like lost luggage, medical costs, even emergency evacuation.  It’s not too expensive and I’ve purchased trip insurance several times, counting myself fortunate for not having to use it.

Having committed to a trip this April to Portugal/Spain, and having purchased the trip insurance, I was feeling like a seasoned traveler. And then the Corona virus thing hits the fan! Folks all over the world are generally concerned, and a bit of panic is in the air, as the media seems to sound the alarm on every station and outlet. People are getting infected, and people are dying, and warnings are everywhere.

What is one to do? So, I called my insurance company to find out the particulars of my coverage; the fine print that really determines what is covered, and if I could just cancel my trip. I realize that insurance is a product that only makes money for the issuer based on what they DON’T pay out from premiums collected, so I was prepared for a bunch of legalese explaining to me how I couldn’t collect.

I wasn’t prepared for what happened next, when I called and talked to a Representative. I wasn’t prepared to hear a ‘word from God.’ I was expecting a bunch of negative, but received the most amazing declaration of truth I could imagine! Obviously this company is getting a lot of calls right now, as so many are wondering the same things I am. Certainly they have coached their Representatives on how to answer these not-yet-happened events! Dealing with all the what-if’s must be complicated, which is why they have the fine print in the first place.

So here it is: the Representative simply said, “Mr. Heiney, fear is not a covered item.”

Bang. A Truth explosion.

The Rep didn’t quote Bible to me, but he quoted truth nonetheless. You can apply this to so many areas of life, in addition to my travel plans! He didn’t say “In Jesus’ Name,” and he didn’t invite me to prayer. 

This is how God works, don’t you think? He works all day long, through many different sources, to try to teach us His truth for our lives; to show us HOW to live in a spiritual way vs a worldly way. 

While the world is going fearful right now, in many areas, The Lord shows up to say things like “Be at peace,” or “I’m in control,” or “It’s going to be ok,” etc.

The Word of God is FOR us, not against us. This God can use any source He chooses to speak into our lives, if we are listening…

Fear is not a covered item in a travel insurance policy, but it is so completely covered in a Spiritual Policy! Make sure you have one…