WATCHING

 Another three weeks! The last three were enough; now we have to suffer another 21 days (minimum) of social isolation and lockdown. Even the strongest of us will surely begin to flag; there are only so many tasks to perform, rooms to clean, phone calls to make, books to read, walks to explore and TV programmes to watch. So what are we going to do?

In my last article, I wrote about waiting, and making it a positive thing rather than just a period to endure. But watching and waiting are often spoken together. Parents will often tell their children to “Wait and See,” with the clear implication that something important (usually good) is going to happen soon.  And we always refer to night watchmen, not night waiters! Times of waiting should always be approached with patience and with the expectation that something good is going to happen or that something bad may be prevented by watching. So, in the Bible waiting is often synonymous with watching. The same Greek word is used in the New Testament for both keeping awake and for spiritual alertness, in other words, watching. We need to become good “watchers.”

So, how can we make sure that this time of waiting can be positive rather than frustrating?  The Bible tells us: “be on your guard; stand firm in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16 v 13). It is very easy to be negative about your circumstances, to allow your mind to drift into possible future scenarios. “Will I catch the dreaded Covid-19?” “How will I ever manage to pay the bills, put up with the kids for another month, or find another job when this is over?”

The Bible can help us here. Instead of dwelling on circumstances in fear or frustration, we can turn our thoughts away from ourselves to God’s peace and purposes in our lives. Psalm 130 verse 5 states, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

This turns our situation on its head; instead of fear there is peace, instead of doubt there is faith and instead of frustration there is hope.  This time of waiting can become a time of watching instead, looking to see what God can do and wants to do in your life rather than trying to sort it all out yourself.  Watching means that we trust God to work in and through our lives to accomplish what he wants to do. Isaiah 30 verse 18 tells us that “the Lord longs to be gracious to you ….blessed are all who wait for him.” The old hymn Great Is Your Faithfulness is actually a quotation from Lamentations 3 verses 22-24. Why not look it up and see how it can apply to you?

Let’s all become watchers rather than just waiters!

WAITING

Queuing is arguably one of the things we Brits do best; we are prepared to arrive early at the supermarket and wait for hours to get the last loo roll or carton of eggs. If there is a queue, we want to be in it! In fact in the days of World War Two, it was a well-known maxim: “If you see a queue, join it.” (This was in the days of wartime rationing, when folk didn’t know when the next delivery of vital foodstuffs would arrive.) Now, of course, we have to queue at least two metres apart because of coronavirus!

But as we self-isolate and wait for Covid-19 to burn itself out, there will inevitably come a sense of frustration that the end of it all is still far off. How many more days and weeks will we have to wait before we can resume our normal everyday lives? We may in fact find ourselves saying with the psalmist, “How long, Lord, how long?”

This present situation can very easily become like a prison, with no end in sight: no outings, no social activity, no nights out, no family gatherings, and no corporate worship. We discover the same frustration that the people of God felt many times when they were at their wits’ end and God seemed far away. Many times they cried out that same phrase, “How long?”

But that cry begs the question in reply, “What are we impatient for?” If we read the Psalms, we soon discover that God’s people were thirsting after several things, like deliverance, revenge, mercy and forgiveness. But when they had calmed down a little, they realized that their needs were for much more than a sense of vindication or victory over their enemies. They were desperate not so much for their own bodily comforts but for the reassurance that God loved them and would be with them, no matter how long their present situation: “Turn, O Lord, deliver my life.” (Ps. 6 v 4), “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (Ps. 37 v7)  “with you there is forgiveness, …. listen to my cry for mercy.” (Ps 130 vs 2,4). There clearly had to be some point to all this waiting, and for us in 2020 the same truth holds good.

It’s not the waiting that is the problem; it’s how we respond to the waiting. Psalm 130 again: “I wait for the Lord … more than for the morning …  and in His word I put my hope.”  “We wait for the Lord; he is our hope and shield.” (Psalm 33). The psalmists had clearly moved beyond their immediate feelings of frustration, boredom and uselessness to see the higher purpose in such a trying situation: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90).

Now that is an outcome well worth aiming for!

Trevor Roff, a friend at church circulated a brief message of encouragement and kindly permits me to republish it, and sent me the two earlier ones penned after the contagion came. So I’m publishing all three as ‘medicinal meditation’ over this long- weekend. May the Lord bless you thoroughly and saturate you in His Spirit:

HIDING

When small children feel afraid or when they are playing tag, their strong temptation is to run away and hide. The chaser becomes the enemy, and the threat from the pursuer becomes increasingly menacing the longer the chase continues. After a time, the danger increases in the children’s minds to the point where discovery is terrifying and is to be avoided at all costs.

We adults are living in such a time today. Coronavirus has taken such a hold in our collective consciousness that our primary response to its threat is one of panic and fear. We stay in our homes not only to protect others from catching the disease but from our own inner fear that we might also become victims.

But God knows exactly how we are feeling. When King David was feeling scared he cried out, “Hide me in the shadow of your wings,” (Psalm 17 v 8).

If you are like me you cannot prevent a shadow of fear flit through your thoughts as to the likelihood of your succumbing to the disease, especially if, like me, you are over 70 or have a history of cancer or some equally dangerous condition. Your first thought is to run away, to hide, even if it is only the comfort and safety of your own home, where you try to avoid any contact with the outside world! 

But later in his life, David had grown in his faith and could cry out with confidence in Psalm 27 v 5: “He will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent.” David has grown in his faith and now states as a fact that God will protect him from the dangers he faces. That is God’s desire for us too, that we will grow in confidence to firmly trust that God will see us through this ‘deadly pestilence.’

Not only that, God does more to console and strengthen David, as the verse continues, “He will lift me high upon a rock.” Our heavenly father longs not only to protect us, but to also give us the faith to believe that He will not only see us through the storms ahead, but also make us beacons of faith and confidence to those around us. If we are willing, he will enable us to be witnesses of God’s saving power. And we can help our friends and neighbours to see beyond this monstrous pandemic to the One who has power over life and death and is inviting us to trust him for the future, wherever it may lead us.