Running On Empty

Scripture

1“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, 4but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6“At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ Matthew 25:1-6

Observation

The five who were prepared went in with the bridegroom. The five who were unprepared found nothing but a closed door when they returned with their oil. Then Jesus puts a very literal exclamation point on it when He says, “So you, too must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.”(vs. 13) Notice all of the bridesmaids fell asleep and were awakened by the shofar (ram’s horn). I believe this time we are in is a pre-awakening to The Church that has been largely asleep when it comes to preparing for Christ’s arrival. I never really understood the historical significance of this parable until recently. My friend Lanu shared with me the Galilean wedding tradition that Jesus was referring to. Jesus and His disciples were from Galilee and they would all have known exactly what Jesus was talking about here as each of them had participated in these kinds of weddings throughout their lives. Unlike modern weddings, a bride and groom were betrothed for about a year. The groom would leave to prepare a place for the bride by adding on a room to his father's house (John 14:3). The bride also had preparations to make which involved wedding garments and yes, you guessed it, lamps. Because the bride didn’t know the day or the hour her groom would arrive (2 Peter 3:10), she and her bridesmaids would need to keep their oil lamps ready. If the shofar sounded in the middle of the night to lead the bridal procession to the home he had prepared for her (John 14:3) they didn’t want to be caught unprepared.

Application

This season of separation is a season of preparation. Like many ministers that I know, my lamp was running on empty and I didn’t realize how much so until I was forced to stop during this quarantine. Don’t get me wrong. I would spend time with the Lord daily, hear from Him regularly, and sense His leading often. I had just learned to operate with a lamp that almost always near empty. This is fine for a while as long as everything goes according to schedule, but what about when March 2020 happens and the bottom drops out on every plan? Jesus wants me with a full lamp on a daily basis in preparation for His arrival. A full lamp, a life filled by His Spirit, will leave a margin for the long seasons of waiting that can wear on a soul. Jesus said, ‘keep watch”, but notice what He’s asking us to watch for? It’s not how soon the quarantine will lift. It’s not how many people are following my online posts. It’s not how successful I am in my ministry endeavors. My purpose in having a full lamp, a full heart, a full focus is to watch for His return. Why? This will inform everything else I do. If I am being refilled by His Spirit on a daily basis because He is coming soon then that will impact how I love my wife, my children, my neighbors, my church, my world. There’s no time to waste on the temporal if my eyes are set on the eternal. Like the bride waiting in joyful expectation for the trumpet sound, I too will find my joy in making sure as many around me will join me in the wedding feast!

Prayer

On this National Day of Prayer I pray for a fresh revelation for Your Church during this time of quiet. As things slowly begin to reopen in our country let our hearts continue to open towards Your immanent return. Let us not miss the urgency and importance of this moment of preparation. Fill us to the full with Your Holy Spirit! Let me not fill up my schedule with that which leaves my lamp empty.