Where is God?
‘He is here moving in our midst….He is here, turning lives around.’
This song has been the soundtrack to my life these past few weeks. Walking in the spring sunshine, discovering my local parks (how long have I been living with them on my doorstep, undiscovered?!), I have been acutely aware of the presence of God. Saving two hours a day not spent commuting, with fewer distractions (shopping, coffee shops), I have had time and space to connect with the Lord in a new way, resting in His presence.
I have heard it said that life feels raw; it certainly feels more real, more authentic, as stripped of all which is unimportant we have a renewed appreciation for what matters most: the beauty of His creation, visiting family, meeting up with friends, our freedom….it is as if life has been distilled to its very essence, and like a concentrated perfume we savour its worth, appreciating all that is good in the here and now.
“Use this interruption to listen to God.”
As we are stripped of all which distracts from and obscures what matters most, the light of Christ can burn ever brighter in our lives. The trivial has been burnt away and our perspective has become more focussed. What brings joy? What are our priorities? It almost feels to me as if God has literally stepped in and razed society to the ground: we have to rebuild our lives and our communities with thought and care. He is transforming society from what it was BC (Before Corona). In a previous blog post Kate Diwakar challenged us to ‘use this interruption to listen to God.’ How does He want us to live PC (Post Corona)?.
“How can we use this experience to bring His light, that He might ‘turn lives around’?”
If you are feeling anxious, confused or fragile, may I encourage you that in Jesus we have all we need. We can feast on His goodness, His Sovereignty and His beauty which have been magnified by the crisis. I initially felt thrown off-course, but God has been using this time to transform me, and has given me a new appreciation for life. I have long been writing gratitude lists, but for the first time in my life I can truly say that I am experiencing life in all its fullness. I am praying that as God has grabbed our attention, society will be transformed and come to understand God’s sovereignty. How can we use this experience to bring His light, that He might ‘turn lives around’?
Our pace of life might have slowed as God has stopped us in our tracks and shaken us out of our complacency and introspection, but He hasn’t stopped. He is in control, He is bigger than anything we are facing, and He is on the move.
Nicole Barnard