On being quarantined

When it feels the whole world has gone mad. When life comes to a sudden, screeching halt. When panic rules. When all my plans evaporate, the doors slam closed, and disappointment chokes. It’s so easy to point fingers. It’s so easy to scoff. It’s so easy to be bitter, or afraid, or simply exasperated. Because my plans have been interrupted, my desires have come to nothing, my control has been taken away.

How blithely I commit myself to Him. It’s easy to promise Him my all until I am actually required to give some of it.

We who follow Christ say we want His name lifted above all things. But do we mean it? What if, during this time of isolation, we took our eyes off ourselves, our interrupted plans, our fears, our frustrations, and we just looked at Jesus, listened to Jesus? What if we took this time and lifted it to Him and asked Him what He wanted with it?

Of course we don’t want to be inconvenienced. Of course we don’t want our quiet lives to be interrupted. Of course we don’t want to suffer, should it come to that.

But we who know Him have promised Him our all. We have pledged to trust Him. And what if He is does a new thing? And what if He uses us to do it? What if we who know Him focus on Him, press into His beauty, and flood a captive world with the gospel? What if we face need and fear with His grace and strength? What if we gather together in small groups, virtually or otherwise, and sing and pray and read His word?

God can start a movement with things like that. God can bring revival with things like that.

What an opportunity. What would it look like to lift the name of Jesus high through whatever means we have? What might the world see if we spread the name of Jesus?

What if, like Paul, even in fear, weakness, or trembling, we determine to know nothing  but Christ and Him crucified?

When we look back on these days, what do we want to remember? What do we want our kids to remember? I for one want this to be the time when God flooded the world anew, when His name spread like wildfire through our devices, and revival began.

Even worse than going silent is contributing to the noise with no substance at all. The enemy wants to snatch these moments, but we can make them His. His word never goes forth void, but we need to send it.

Take a deep breath. Be still. Listen. He is here. And He’s ready to do a new thing.