Mark 9:7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!” (NIV)
For most of us, being at home is like house arrest. We want to go places and be with people elsewhere, but we cannot because we’re trying our best to help others. We end up sitting around after our work, probably watching old movies, checking out the fridge, or cleaning out stuff that we’ve gathered or kept in boxes way too long. Perhaps there are some moments when we don’t know what to do with ourselves, so we just end up trudging through the day as best as we can and then go to bed early. We’re on pandemic imprisonment and we don’t like it.
But what if God wanted us to use some of this time to grow closer to His Son Jesus? What if this was the opportunity to fully read that Gospel or Old Testament book that we’ve always promised ourselves to do? What if God, who really loves His Son, wants us to listen to Him now? Wouldn’t that transform our spirits? Wouldn’t that give us something to aim at or spiritually deepen?
Usually, we are so busy that we never really stop to listen to Jesus. We bring Him into our lives whenever there’s a crisis or something that we want from God. Now that we’re in a crisis, shouldn’t we be asking ourselves what does God want me to do in this strange time?
So, go on. Read that book from the Bible. Study that passage that has always intrigued you. Choose a Gospel and read it from beginning to end. The insight that Christ gives you may also change you, but then again is that not why God says to the three disciples on the mountainside and also ourselves: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we waste a lot of our lives by focusing on unimportant things. During this pandemic help us to change that. Encourage us to meditate on Your Word and allow us to use this opportunity to grow closer to You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
PS – if you would like to find a Bible online, the best ones to be freely found are at this great link:
https://www.biblegateway.com/
John Stuart