The Tick - A Test of Faith
Hi Friends,
I hope all is well. I have a serious post to share with you today. As I was praying about a vision the Lord gave me Saturday, I received two other visions that I believe have answered my questions regarding the first.
The Visions
But, before I share these three visions, let me preface them with a story of Martin Luther in the 16th century when he learned that the bubonic plague had come to their town in Germany. He of course was a great man of faith, who wanted the church to turn back to a Biblical faith in God and away from its practices in selling indulgences to those who wanted to be allowed to practice their sinful ways without the condemnation of the Church. This obviously is in direct opposition to the Lord’s teachings in the written Word of God, the Bible. It was in Wittenberg, Germany, that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church, on October 31, 1517. This began a new chapter in church history.
When the plague came to Wittenburg, Germany, most people would try to outrun the disease, and escape to some place where they would be “safe.” Martin Luther took the situation before God, and knowing that God was more than able to protect him and his family from any disease, and any situation, he decided to “stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord.” Exodus 14:13
David, who wrote many of the psalms, also had his share of trouble. But he knew that the Lord was his deliverer, and that he was safe in his hands.
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:1-12
“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18
So as God was with David, he would also be with Martin Luther. And he and his family were saved from the disease. The Black plague that killed two thirds of Europe, twice in history, never came near his dwelling. Because he put his trust in God, he was able to see his deliverance.
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. Psalm 91:7
Martin Luther was a man of faith. Knowing and understanding the word of God, he placed his trust in the Lord and his promises. So with strong conviction, he stood still and saw the mighty hand of God protect him from the deadly plague.
He wrote this famous hymn, to bring glory to the one in whom he placed his trust: Jesus the Christ, The Risen Lord! The words and passion of this hymn bring me to tears every time I hear its message.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle.And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him.That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
Now that you know that God has the power to keep you, I will share the visions that I believe he has given me.
The Tick
I had a vision of a plain black tick. I do not have much experience with ticks, but I knew that it was a tick. Ticks are known to carry both viral and bacterial diseases, with Lyme’s disease being the most common here in the north-eastern part of the United States.
Ticks become carriers of disease by biting an infected animal and then transferring that disease to another animal by biting it. Ticks can usually have a one or two hosts in a lifetime. But some types of ticks can live long enough to have multiples of hosts.
After our experience with Covid being infectious and transmissible through respiration, I wanted to see if this was possible with diseases carried by any of the various ticks. And in general the answer is no. These diseases can be transmitted human to human only when coming into direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. These are rare circumstances, such as receiving a blood transfusion, an organ transplant, or through breast milk. In my reading I came across one type that affected the lungs. It is possible that it could transfer the pathogen by sneezing or coughing into another person’s face, but that is still remote.
However, the number of cases of vector borne diseases (carried by a biting insect) have increased. The CDC has noted on their website that 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease were reported last year. The following quote is from an older report of the CDC:
The CDC Vital Signs Report in May 2018 revealed that between 2004-2016: a) the number of reported cases of diseases from mosquitoes, ticks and fleas had more than tripled in the U.S.; b) of the 642,000 total cases, 77% of these vector borne diseases were from ticks and 82% of these cases were Lyme disease; c) diseases from ticks alone more than doubled over this 13 year period d) seven new tick borne microbes were identified that infect people in the U.S. (e.g., Borrelia miyamotoi, 2 new spotted fever Rickettsiae and a new Ehrlichia species) ; e) chikungunya and Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes caused outbreaks in the U.S. for the first time; f) the geographic range of ticks in the U.S. has expanded. The report noted that a single tick can transmit multiple pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The CDC noted that there are 10x more cases in the US of Lyme disease than are actually reported. The CDC concluded “Vector Borne diseases are a large and growing public health problem……Better control of mosquitoes and ticks is needed to protect people from these costly and deadly diseases''.
It also occurred to me that with bioengineering, and the work of virologists, it might be possible to manipulate the bacteria or virus to cause a new threat to the world and its health. I started praying regarding the idea of the tick representing a new health problem. That is when I received the next two visions and a passage of scripture. I asked the Lord to show me something in the Bible, so I opened the Bible to find these words at the top of the page: “Even the dogs came and licked his sores.” I knew that this was referring to Lazarus, a character from one of the Lord’s parables. So I turned the page to look at the preceding sentences:
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores…” Luke 16:19-21
This confirmed for me that the tick in the vision represented disease. Lazarus, not being able to move himself, laid on the ground, vulnerable to ticks, fleas and mosquitos carrying bacteria and viruses. In his weakened state, he had no strength to chase away the dogs who carried the ticks. The open wounds were also a sign that bacteria and viruses had already infected his body.
I asked the Lord to show me something to help me understand the vision of the tick. So this was the next vision he gave me:
The Passenger Ship
I saw a large ship, like a cruise ship that carried many passengers. It was a white ship docked in a harbor on a bright sunny day.
During the Covid outbreak, we saw that there were several cruise ships that were not allowed to come into a port and release their passengers. Fear was high and on a densely populated cruise ship, the germs were free to roam and infect people. Therefore, the passengers of these luxury cruise ships were trapped, unable to go home.
During the outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1917-18, it was primarily the movement of soldiers around the globe that spread this disease and caused a great pandemic that infected 500 million people or one-third of the world population at that time. Over 50 million people died world-wide, with 675,000 deaths in the U.S.
There is no doubt that traveling is a major cause of the spreading of disease. This is a quote from another article regarding the bubonic plague:
“The Black Death arose at a time of emerging empires, greater exploration and new discoveries. Armies, colonisers and traders all imported and exported the disease in ships and overland.
When the plague first came to Europe on Italian trading ships, arriving from Crimea, the Italian authorities instituted some of the first official public health measures. Many local and civic authorities became involved in public health for the first time and many of the measures they instituted were used for centuries afterwards to control the spread of any infectious disease outbreak.”
One those measures taken to control the spread of the bubonic plague was to restrict the movement of ships:
“Restricting ships to port. In 1347 the Venetian authorities isolated ships in port for 30 days to ensure they were not infected. The period was extended to 40 days, and the word 'quarantine' comes from the Italian word for 40.” Science Museum “The Bubonic Plague - The First Pandemic” April 25, 2019
In Consumer Reports, an article entitled: Your guide to tick and mosquito diseases reports that there is a great increase in the spreading of vector borne diseases:
Mosquitoes and ticks are spreading more rapidly than ever, both across the U.S. and around the globe. And with each new season, the list of diseases they carry grows longer.
In fact, a recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that since 2004, nine tick or mosquito diseases—including the Zika virus—have been reported for the first time in the U.S. and its territories.
The reasons for this upward trend are not surprising. Rising global temperatures, increasing suburbanization, and unprecedented international travel have forced bugs and humans into ever-closer proximity and given each new illness the potential to go global, quickly.
So the vision of the cruise ship is a reminder of what had happened in the past, may again occur.
The Parsley
In this vision, I saw a small amount of parsley being picked up by the air and swirled in a spiral breeze. Parsley is nearly weightless, it is carried by the slightest bit of air. Without the parsley, we would not be able to see the movement of the air. I believe that this vision was given to clarify that the disease initially introduced by a tick, might also be transmissible through the air. This is not something that is truly capable at this time. However, with all the gain of function research being done at the various laboratories, we should not be surprised by the results. It may be entirely possible for the pathogens carried by a tick, that have their primary effects in the lungs, to be enhanced to spread more effectively through the air. Like Covid, it would be possible to transmit the disease by sneezing or coughing.
In the medical journal, “Chest Journal,” an article entitled: Tick Borne Pulmonary Disease , we see that there are tick borne diseases that do affect the lungs:
“Ticks are capable of transmitting viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and rickettsiae to man. Several of these tick-borne pathogens can lead to pulmonary disease… Patients at risk for tick bites may be coinfected with two or more tick-borne pathogens.”
However, we are not to fear, because fear comes from the devil. Faith comes from God. I believe that the Lord has given me this message, not to cause fear, but to cause us to look to him to strengthen our faith, and prepare us for whatever may come our way. God is for us. And we know that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We are his flock, the sheep of his pasture. He loves us with an everlasting love. And he will sustain us with his mighty outstretched arm. He is asking us to believe and to trust in him. Martin Luther trusted God and was saved from the black plague. We too can trust the Lord and he will protect us.
The Lord said,
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Only God knows what the future holds. There may be plans in place to cause another pandemic, in order to suspend individual rights or to push forth an economic or political agenda. We must be prepared for the worst, and believe God “to deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13
If we want to glorify the name of the Lord, then we must be ready to stand firm in our faith. We must be able to trust him with our lives, our health and our provision. The Lord is our strong tower, our refuge in time of need. So we will not be shaken. We must remember that when the ten plagues were poured out on the Egyptians, the Lord protected the Israelites, for they were his people. God will protect us too—just don’t give into the world’s view and the world’s values. If we stand with God, he will stand with us!
Please share this message with those who need to know that persecution, hardship and trials may come our way, but the Lord will save, deliver, heal, and provide for all our needs. He is the Great I Am! He is our refuge. And A Mighty Fortress is Our God !
Be blessed!
