Silver Linings Playbook: How God Can Heal Us In Lock Down
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” That’s a line from the celebrated 23rd Psalm. Whenever I am getting blood drawn, or prepped for surgery, this is the Psalm I recite in my mind. I had to memorize it in school as a child. God is making all of us lie down right now, alright. Many of us are under house arrest. But thankfully in His inimitable silver linings playbook, God can heal us all in lock down. If we partner with him in it.
A few weeks ago, I was listening to a teaching about a chapter in Genesis. The Lord suddenly spoke to me and said, “Are you going to partner with me or against me?” At the time, I thought that maybe He was trying to point out some ungodly distractions or time drains. Or things that ate away at my productivity for His kingdom work. But in recent days, I’ve begun to see all the “asks” He had in mind. He was preparing my heart and mind for them. It’s tempting to lay around and listen to music and watch TV all day and night.
We must, in the process, be completely humble and open to it with our heart attitude. And not just our schedule. Our global, national, community, familial and personal relationship with Jesus Christ are all poised for revival. In this unique juncture in history, our Lord has made time and people stand still in unprecedented ways. I’m in constant prayer and meditation> It’s essential to glean what God wants from me in my newly frozen landscape. And, probably, like you, I’m still fighting all kinds of distractions in the process.
Revelations: They Come in Threes
In this surprising stillness we are positioned to see three important things. Primarily, we are able to see God himself more clearly without distraction. “Be still and know that I am God,” reads the verse from Psalm 46:10. God is trying to get our attention as He obliterates our schedules and gives us more time to learn and “know” more about Him.
Secondly, He wants us to focus on today. “Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own,” Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:34. in lock down, we focus on meeting present needs. Perhaps we listen to a self rationed amount of news in our present moments. We eat, perform daily tasks, communicate about the day and sleep at night. Consulting calendars about tomorrow is irrelevant. We must try not to lament about our yesterdays.
Finally, we must view our lives through a lens pointed at eternity. Eternity is not our unforeseeable tomorrow, it’s our divine destiny. We know these “momentary troubles” (as Paul calls them in 2 Corinthians 4:17) are utterly fleeting in God’s divine timetable. But it’s far easier for us to weather them in light of the truth that they are not our permanent “new normal.” We have the blessed assurance from God’s word that they are not.
What God’s Doing in My Playbook
God is working in me to alter my perception of stillness, the present and the eternal. He fills me with His spirit every morning. A handful of new epiphanies pop up for me in His word each day that inspire me for my writing in these turbulent times. He continues to bring to mind the comforting framework of eternity. These are just a few of the gold nuggets I’ve already mined to date during the coronavirus lock down.
God is also prompted me to get out of my comfort zone by appearing live in daily Facebook videos to share what He’s laid on my heart. I’ve been dragging my feet about this for the most superficial reasons for years. I need to lose weight. I need hair and makeup people. I need professional equipment. I’m not ready. Thank God the Lord equips the called. So I laid down my pride and went for it. The results have been nothing short of amazing and completely reflective of God’s agenda and words and not my own.
To Have, Hold and Stay in Place From This Day Forward
God has also lassoed my time and attention to prompt me to refocus on my marriage. My husband and I reached the 37- year mark. Our solid relationship is based on a deep friendship and an array of common interests and solid common core values. Early on, law school and mutually challenging careers demanded our attention, as did children, then another graduate degree. Many crises and goals trumped the relationship but we held steady. We soldiered on, enjoying each other’s company and moving though life as an efficient team. But somewhere life and its problems choked out the romance.
It Only Takes a Spark
In our current quest to becoming a better “we,” God is again restoring the passion my husband once had for the wife of his youth, namely, me, as is stated in Proverbs 5:18! Thankfully, we’re facing the problems head on and looking to God with huge chunks of time like we’ve never had before during this lock down. We’re plowing through workbooks doing exercises to foster emotional intimacy. We’re communicating our needs and emotions like we never have before. These occurrences don’t just fall into our laps like a Hallmark movie ending. They must be earned and the work must be done by both parties.
Mostly, we are each trusting The Great Physician to heal us both and unite us in stronger ways than ever before. And as He promises in Philippians 1:6, “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to the day of Jesus Christ.” We know God joined us together in the first place and we know it remains His desire to reunify us both.
Vow to Partner with God in Lock Down
In a time when many of our freedoms have been taken away, we must trust what God is doing even if we cannot understand it. We can’t blame God for the pandemic. We live in a broken world this side of eternity and can expect our share of troubles, as Jesus tells us in John 16:33. But we can watch Him work miracles in it.
God alone knows what we need far better than we do when it comes to our lives relationships. When we intentionally work to meet the needs of our spouses, we will be living the life of marital abundance God intended. That blessing is available to enrich husbands and wives in unimaginable ways. We can then truly love and cherish one another in all the ways God originally intended. Now more than ever, we have the time to make that happen.
When we partner with God in His work in our lives, we can heal ourselves. He wants nothing more than to deepen our walk with Him. We can commit to repairing our relationships, our communities and our planet. Join me in using your time wisely in lock down. Ask God to help you define spiritual and relational goals. Then buckle your proverbial seat belt and watch Him work wonders in your life. For those of us who do, I believe we will stand amazed as we watch it ripple outward into your community and beyond.
