“And the Lord shut him in.” (Genesis 7:16) The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has plunged our nation and communities into a time of travel limitation. We can go stir-crazy, or it could be a time of growing in our faith. We are forced outside our comfort zones and required to move along new lines of possibilities of fellowship. What if the Lord wants to have us for himself? What if this time is for our benefit and not our harm?
Throughout the Scriptures, there are accounts recorded when men and women of faith were called to be ‘shut in with God.’ Freedom to travel does not mean God has forsaken us. It could be that the Lord is doing a ‘new thing’ for our spiritual development.
Noah and his family were ‘shut-in’ during the days of the flood upon this earth. God closed the door of the ark and, in that time, protected them from the destruction happening upon those who had neglected God’s warning of judgment. It was better to be inside the ark with all the stinking animals than to be outside with freedom of travel.
The children of Israel were ‘shut-in’ their houses during the first Passover. With blood from a sacrificial lamb upon their doorposts, they were protected from the death that swept through the land of Egypt. It was better to be in the houses of the Jewish slaves than inside the palace of the Egyptian rulers.
Immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the early believers were in hiding. They were ‘shut-in’ with worry and fear over what the Roman authorities would do with them as followers of the Lord. During this time, Jesus began revealing Himself to the disciples with irrefutable proof of His resurrection and ministry for them. It was better to be ‘shut-in’ as a follower of Christ than to be standing with the mocking and hateful crowd.
During the persecution of the early Church, men and women fled from danger, were let down in baskets, and escaped miraculously from prison and martyrdom. The Lord used this time to prepare them for even greater ministry as followers of Christ. This time of being 'shut-in' was not wasted.
The Lord can use this time of ‘social distancing’ and staying home as a time to prepare us for better ministry. He is shaking us out of our ‘normal life’ and calling us to put feet to our prayers and actions to our faith. He is correcting our view of the real meaning of the Church. The decision of pastors and leaders to refrain from physically meeting is a sign of wise leadership and their understanding that ‘church’ is not, and never has been, defined by a building.
God, in His sovereignty, has seen to it that during the most celebrated time for the Christian community, we cannot patronize Him with a ‘visit to church’ in our fancy new outfits. Now, He is calling us to dress in faith, walk in love, and offer grace to our neighbors. We are in this together because we are… Shut-in With God!
