Tag Archives: Lockdown

Abide, Faith, Holy Week Reflections

LOCKDOWN-HOLY WEEK REFLECTIONS-DAY 3

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Lockdown Day 3

Having 5 children in the house makes it quite a noisy one. There never seems to be a moments peace. It’s either babies screaming, kids laughing and playing, or worse, bickering and fighting.

There’s always one word that never fails to carry above all the noise though. Mummy! In most situations they call me in, they need some form of reassurance or comfort. They need me to calm them down and to let them know it’s going to be ok.

Don’t we all need that though?

It’s not just children who need to be comforted and reassured. We do have a name we can call on. It doesn’t matter how much noise there is around us either. We can call on this name, day or night, and He will hear us. What is the name?

JESUS

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Psalm 86:5

Call on Jesus and be calm

We are in a world now where getting in touch with other people can be a little hard. We have internet, which provides a whole new way of connecting with other people. But can you really connect with someone who is not physically there with you? It’s not easy.

I may not see Jesus physically, but He is there. He is waiting for us to call on His name and talk to Him. And when we do, He will be hanging on every word we say and connecting in with us. Jesus wants to connect in with us, and no lockdown order can stop Him!

Jesus wants to connect in with us, and no lockdown order can stop Him! Share on X

Something to think about…

You may be wondering what use is it talking to someone you can’t see. I think the well known hymn by Alan Jackson sums it up well.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear. 
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O, what peace we often forfeit,
O, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Tell Jesus everything. Absolutely everything! From your good days to your down right crappy days. He wants to hear it all. You could be surprised at how much calmer you may feel afterwards.

Prayer

Lord, we find it so much harder these days to open up and talk. We feel isolated because of the situation around us. Help us, Lord, to realise you are still here right beside us, now more than ever. You will listen to whatever we want to tell you and I thank you for listening. We need a friend so much right now to calm us down from all the noise around us. Lord, please be that friend to us and quieten our hearts and comfort us. I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

Abide, Faith, Holy Week Reflections

LOCKDOWN-HOLY WEEK REFLECTIONS-DAY 2

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Observe His Word and His teaching

Yesterday I wrote worrying about the future doesn’t do us any favours. It takes away the joy we can have today. So, what can we do to help us take our minds off the noise going on around us when in lockdown? 

Learn to lock-in during lockdown

I have experienced issues with my hearing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was affected with numerous ear infections. Over the years I have had various operations to try and help reduce what I have been experiencing.

More recently I have been suffering with a condition called Tinnitus. This is where you hear a ringing, buzzing or humming in your head or ear. Sometimes the noise can be so loud it distracts you from doing every day normal things. 

Research has shown that stress and anxiety can often make tinnitus symptoms worse. I’m pretty sure the current coronavirus situation and the enforced isolation of social distancing would be classed as a stressful situation. 

One of the ways to help alleviate stress and reduce tinnitus is by relaxing more. Another solution to help reduce tinnitus is to try and block out the noise and to focus on something else. Focussing on the tinnitus can sometimes make it worse. 

Cancelling out the noise in lockdown

This is the same with our current situation. There is so much in the news and on social media about the Coronavirus and lockdown that we don’t know what to listen to. So much noise that it can make us apprehensive and stressed. 

The solution I use to help with tinnitus can also be used in the current situation we find ourselves in with the Coronavirus lockdown. We need to find a way of cancelling out the noise going on around us and focussing on what is important. 

One way to do that is to focus on His Word. We don’t need to read whole books of the Bible. We just need to find those nugget verses that help us to get through the stressful times. 

Here are a few to help…

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” Isaiah 41:10

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take”

“I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

“…God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Something to think about…

Do you have a favourite go-to scripture? Why not write it out on some card and stick it somewhere prominent. That way it acts as a reminder when distractions start to get louder. Why not share your scripture in the comments below for others to read. 

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your Word and for the truth within its pages. Please help me not to be distracted with the noise of the world around me, but to set my mind on things above. I ask you to keep all distractions away so I can soak in the truth if Your Word. Thank You that You are here with me wherever I go and that I do not need to fear what is around in this world. Amen. 

Abide, Faith, Holy Week Reflections

Lockdown-Holy Week Reflections-Day 1

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Lockdown – Day 1

The last couple of weeks have been interesting to say the least. When the government announced on 26th March that our country was going into lockdown, panic ensued. The thought of not seeing our friends or family for weeks, maybe months on end brought about a sense of fear. 

But do we really need to be afraid?

This is the question I ask myself and the answer has taken me a while to lock into. The answer is found in the Word itself. 

LOCKDOWN

Over the next week, starting today on Palm Sunday and finishing on Easter Sunday, I am going to be looking at what each of these letters can mean to us. I will focus on how we can use lockdown as a way of not being fearful, but being fearless. 

Let’s not be afraid of the unknown. In this time of uncertainty, let’s come closer to the One who wants to be known to us. 

Let’s not be afraid of the unknown. In this time of uncertainty, let’s come closer to the One who wants to be known to us.  Share on X

Let Go and Let God

Four months ago I had never heard about Coronavirus, let alone think I could ever be affected by it. Who could have predicted the whole world being on total lockdown? I had plans, which I’m sure we all did. 

This week should have seen me having an operation which I needed, and I should be in bed right now recovering from it. A month ago I was assured there was no need to worry about my operation being cancelled. Two weeks later, surely enough it was. 

Secretly, I think my husband is pleased. And I guess I am in a way too. Who wants to be in a hospital in a time like this? The safest place is to be at home. Right?

We were both concerned about me having an operation at this time. As much as it was needed to improve my health, we thought it would be compromised more given the situation we are facing. 

Let God Worry

There have been a few instances like this over the past month where I have been concerned about situations. One by one though I have seen events be cancelled and opportunities taken away. 

Usually when this happens, I go into this downward spiral and start to wonder why all this would be happening. “Why me, God? Why me?” Instead, I find myself in a place where, although there is a little anxiety about what is going on (I won’t lie about that) I feel a sense that God is here and He has this in His hands. 

Worrying about the future does us no favours at all. It takes away the joy we can have today. When we allow ourselves to dwell on what may or may not happen, we end up losing out on the gift we are given. Today. This is why it’s called the present.

There are a lot of unknowns in this world today, and that’s probably the understatement of the century! Why not trust God with our future so we can focus on what takes place today?

Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Something to think about…

Letting go and letting God is not easy. I get that! Start with the small things you are holding close to you. One by one, you will start to feel lighter. It may be surprising how free you feel and how unafraid you may be once you do let go.

Prayer

Lord, letting go of all our worries about the current situation we are facing is super hard. We are afraid of the unknown. But you Lord, are not afraid. You know everything that is going to happen. Prise our hands away from gripping tightly onto what we do not know. Worrying about the unknown does us no good. Instead, help us to open our hands to the gift you have given right in front of us. A new day. Help us to focus on what we can change today and let you carry tomorrow in your hands. In your name, Amen.