Worthy Brief - 4/3/2020
Friend, don’t worry … the ground is just being broken up!
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Much of the world is dealing with the greatest disruption of their lives… probably in their lifetimes, particularly in the West, and what is known as the "First World". Here's a helpful perspective toward understanding what is taking place.
Imagine for a moment that your life is a farm… a plot of land set aside to produce a crop. The Farmer knows what He needs to do to prepare an abundant harvest. Your soil is fallow, hardened, full of weeds. The seeds are dry and must absorb water to initiate respiration and begin to digest their stored food, and respiration requires sufficient oxygen in soil that is moist and broken up. Your field must be turned over and plowed.
Plowing seems to do violence to soil in its fallow state. Yet nothing will grow or can even be planted in hard unplowed soil. The plow turns the soil upside down and inside out, looks like a disaster zone, as thousands of weeds and chunks of earth fly apart. Insects in the soil endure an apocalyptic experience, and some of them are killed by the metal blades and crashing mounds of earth. The farmer is simply doing his job, what he must do to prepare an abundant harvest.
Friend, now that the Farmer is preparing His field, and the mounds of earth and weeds are flying everywhere, step back if you can and observe what is taking place. The world is His field, not ours. and His crop is righteousness and steadfast love in a fruitful crop of human souls. Fallow ground full of weeds will not do for a good harvest. Take the Farmer's perspective, endure the plow, and you will rejoice with him in the harvest to follow.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Baltimore, Maryland
Editor's Note: We have created a WordPress plugin that allows online Christian ministries and churches to publish Worthy News on their sites free of charge! If you are interested, please visit Worthy Plugins.
Editor's Note: See how our Worthy Prayer Team works in this YouTube video. Be sure to submit any prayer requests you may have to the Worthy Prayer Team! Worthy Ministries is looking for intercessors for the Worthy Prayer Team ... let us know if you're interested!
Saudi Arabia and Russia Signal Readiness to Cooperate on Oil
Saudi Arabia and Russia signaled on Thursday they were ready to cooperate to help stabilize the oil market after calls with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the slump in prices triggered by the end of a deal to curb output and a collapse in demand.
Hezbollah accused of bringing coronavirus to Lebanon
The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon has been accused of helping to bring coronavirus to the nation. Opponents of the powerful group point out that Lebanon took three weeks to block flights from Iran, after a woman who had just returned from there tested coronavirus positive on February 20. Hezbollah is accused of causing the delay to ensure its supporters could return home. Denying the claims, Hezbollah is trying to show the Lebanon Shiite community that it is working to protect them from the outbreak.
Morgan Stanley: 'World Facing Deep Global Recession'
The world's largest investment bank and financial services company warns of a "deep global recession" due to the new coronavirus pandemic. New York-based Morgan Stanley says worldwide economic growth could slow by as much as 0.9 percent this year. "[The virus] COVID-19 is at once a human tragedy and unparalleled synchronous shock, affecting both the demand and supply sides of the global economy," writes Morgan Stanley chief economist Chetan Ahya in a note.
Pentagon Confirms It’s Seeking 100,000 Body Bags in Virus Crisis
The Pentagon confirmed that it’s seeking to provide as many as 100,000 military-style body bags for potential civilian use as the U.S. warns that deaths could soar in the coming weeks from the coronavirus pandemic.
Global coronavirus cases surpass one million
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 52,000 deaths as the pandemic further exploded in the United States and the death toll climbed in Spain and Italy, according to a Reuters tally of official data.
95 percent of European coronavirus fatalities are people older than 60, WHO says
Nearly all of the people in Europe who have died from the coronavirus were more than 60 years old, the World Health Organization announced Thursday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu: All Israelis must wear face masks as virus precaution
All Israelis must wear face masks while in public as a precaution against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Israel’s health minister tests positive for coronavirus
Israel’s most senior Health Minister has tested positive for coronavirus, government officials confirmed Thursday. Yaakov Litzman has entered isolation together with his wife, who also tested positive. Litzman is part of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community which, according to unofficial figures cited by Israeli TV channels Sunday, make up half the country’s hospitalized coronavirus patients.
Israelis protest medical state clamp-down as leaders enter quarantine
Protestors in Jaffa, Israel joined with a young man Wednesday who was accosted by police for defying government orders to not depart more than 328 feet from his home.
Inside the United States
Trump: Fed program to help businesses, workers launches Friday as unemployment claims soar
On the same day the federal government announced more than 6.6 million Americans filed unemployment claims, President Donald Trump said a program to help businesses continue to pay workers launches Friday.
US on track to build 400-450 miles of border wall by end of year
The US is well on track to build 400-450 miles of wall along its south-western border by the end of the calendar year, said Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf at a news conference with President Trump Wednesday.
US military moves air defense systems into Iraq following attacks on American troops
The U.S. military said Thursday that air defense systems are 'moving' into Iraq following attacks on American and coalition forces in recent weeks.
Record 6.6 million Americans file unemployment claims, nearly doubling prior week's total
More than 6.6 million Americans filed unemployment claims last week as more businesses were forced to lay off and furlough workers because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Federal Reserve Temporarily Eases Capital Requirement for Big Banks
The Federal Reserve is temporarily relaxing a rule that imposes additional capital requirements on deposits and Treasury securities held by the biggest U.S. banks.
Christian News
Print On Demand Equipment is "Missing Link" for Bible Translation Teams Facing Intense Persecution
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, is using technology to protect and empower Bible translators working in regions of intense persecution for Christians.
Pastors maintaining the right to meet in person face increased pressure from state governments
Pastors refusing to comply with coronavirus regulations effectively shuttering churches are facing increased harassment from state authorities, with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio even threatening to permanently close churches and synagogues that defy social distancing orders.