Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8 NIV
Life in lockdown with a toddler and a husband working from home brings more joy than frustration at the moment. I am blessed that we are able to be together although I know that this is not the story for everyone. Like many of you, I am missing things that I took for granted: seeing family face-to-face, a cup of coffee with a friend, a walk by the beach, a family day out, the local library… the list goes on. But like I’ve been reminded across social media, ‘I am not stuck at home, I am safe at home.’
As a stay-at-home mum, our routine hasn’t changed too much but we are missing those moments in the week that would break up our day. I’ve bought a few extra things for Jonathan to do both inside and out in the garden, and I am trying to balance that with housework, the odd bit of writing and some time of quiet.
Even if the house doesn’t feel very quiet at times, I have found myself at peace knowing that the Lord is with us. I have played worship music and sang more than I have ever done, taking my eyes away from the news and myself and turning them towards Jesus. He is the peace in the storm. Time in quarantine with no demands from the outside world gives me time to tend the inside of my heart. Jesus is bringing me closer to Himself during this time of quarantine through the Bible and music.
When all of those things that we rely on, whether ourselves, our skills, our work, our money, our families, our health, our freedom, our luxuries, our toilet paper and more are taken away, where else do we go? Where have we been placing our identity? It can never satisfy us or keep us secure no matter what life throws our way. The only one who can quiet the fear, calm our heart and fully satisfy is Christ alone.
Friends, now is the time to let the Lord Jesus perform heart surgery on us. The sin in all of our hearts is what needs to be dealt with – it is more deadly than any virus. The good news is Jesus dealt with all of our sin Himself on the cross. But we still have to trust in Him by turning away from our sin and following Him. He is the Great Physician who can heal us from the inside out.
So many times I have wrestled with that question ‘Who am I?’ Where is my identity? I often think I have to find my identity in a career, in my parenting, in what others think of me and the list goes on and on and on. I’m sure this time of Covid-19 has caused many of us to ask some big questions, including ‘If God, then why this pandemic?’ When I asked the Lord recently what I am to do with my life each day, I found much treasure in the Bible. For Christians, we have all the direction for life that we could ever need, come what may. Here are some truths that quieted my soul in these anxious times and I hope they are a blessing to you also – also check out the videos below:
- Live a holy and godly life looking forward to the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:11)
- Make every effort to live peaceful lives that are blameless and pure (2 Peter 3:14)
- Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)
- Live life as Jesus did (1 John 2:6)
- Do not love this world, nor the things it offers you (craving for physical pleasure, craving for everything we see, pride in our achievements and possessions – 1 John 2:15-16)
- Keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts (1 John 5:21)
- Love one another (2 John verse 6)
- Defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people (Jude verse 3)
- Build each other up in the faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit and await the mercy of Jesus who brings us to eternal life (Jude verses 20 and 21)
An Anchored Hope 
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