Resting in Isolation

 

Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Right now, here in our little town of Katherine, we are in the middle of a complete lockdown. Now, I know a lot of you reading have experienced this many times and maybe you’re well and truly over it. But for me, at this moment, I’m finding it a time of rest. I don’t want to downplay anyone’s situation as I know my little period of time at home is minimal compared to so many others. But, isolation can be a great opportunity to catch your breath and rest.

How well do you handle solitude? Do you feel like a bird in a cage? Trapped. Beating your wings wildly against your prison bars, dreaming of the days you soared high above the clouds, catching the updrafts and feeling the freedom of flight.

I have been so busy for the past couple of years that I feel like I haven’t had time to catch my breath at all and the times of rest were few and far between. God calls us to rest and stresses the importance of it in the scriptures. We are commanded to take time out to rest. To refresh, renew, revive.

And yet, often, when the time comes, and God enforces rest upon us, we struggle and fight against it.

I guess what I’m trying to say to those who need to hear it is, make the most of your time of enforced isolation. Yes, the government may have made the law and forced you to stay home, but it was God that allowed it to happen. As always, God knows best and he is in control, even in this situation we find ourselves in.

It's easy to sit and mope and waste our time bemoaning life and complaining about our hardships, but how much better is it to face this time with joy and gladness and a heart that desires to see what God can do. How much better would it be to spend the time studying the Word of God more deeply, sharing truth with others through the wonders of technology, or catching up on all those chores you never thought you’d have time to do, learning something new, spending quality time with your family.

I love the example of Paul in the New Testament. He was a man who knew something about isolation and imprisonment. And he didn’t have the comforts of his own home to spend it in. No, he was a prisoner in a dark, smelly, dungeon. Deprived of any creature comforts. Yet, he praised God.

Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

He spent his time in prison writing letters of encouragement to other believers. And he didn’t sign his letters, Paul, the prisoner of Festus, or Caesar. No, he firmly stated that he was a prisoner of the Lord.

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

Philemon 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer

He saw the hand of the Lord in all of his imprisonments. His trials and his afflictions only made him praise God all the more. He turned prison into a new pulpit. A new ministry. He made the best of what seemed like a very bad situation. He just used it as a platform to launch a new ministry. Unlikely place, right? His days and months in captivity brought forth messages of hope and encouragement to other believers.

Often, when we are busy doing the Lord’s business and our days are full to overflowing, we withstand the pressure and the stresses and the workload, only to find ourselves breaking down and not coping when we are forced into inactivity and confinement.

Let me go back to the subject of rest again. It is God’s will that we rest, and I think it’s important to recognize when God is calling us to rest and not to ignore it. We need to be alert to his voice and his call.

The Bible tells us that God called the disciples to rest.

Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while

Isn’t it beautiful that he told them to come and rest? What a beautiful picture of God’s lovingkindness. He not only wants us to rest, but he goes with us to rest. He doesn’t say, go and rest, he says, come and rest. Come. I’ll go with you. We will rest together. I will bring the refreshing, the renewing, the reviving. He invites us to rest with him. It is his very presence that brings the rest we need. There is no refreshing without him present.

I’m seeing this time of enforced lockdown as a time where God is calling me to rest. Rest from work, yes, but also, a time to rest in him and refresh and renew spiritually. To grow and learn.

And so, in your isolation, take Jesus’ hand and rest with him. Use your time wisely. Ask him for wisdom in how to spend your days. Ask him if there is a way you can minister to others from afar.

Is there a letter or a text you can send a friend? Is there some words of encouragement or words of scripture you can speak into the life of someone that may be struggling? What is it you can do to help someone during this time? Who can you be a blessing to?

”For twelve long years Bunyan’s lips were silenced in Bedford jail. It was there that he did the greatest and best work of his life. There he wrote the book that has been read next to the Bible. He says, “I was at home in prison and I sat me down and wrote, and wrote, for joy did make me write.”

There are many who have gone before us that faced times of isolation and confinement and came through with shining colours. They had learnt the meaning of contentment and they trusted the Lord completely. How else could they live in captivity with such a song in their heart? Only Jesus. He is the reason they could do it.

And we are not any different to them. We can live in joy and not despair. We can learn to be content in any situation God puts us in. We can use the times of rest God gives us to be a blessing to others.

You never know how God will use those words of encouragement you give to someone else, during your difficult time, to speak to their heart and help bring them the peace that only God can give. He loves to use his children as instruments to help others and bring glory to his name.

Take time to rest in your isolation, but take time to serve and show God’s love.