Be still and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10

Most of the time, when I hear this verse, I feel guilty for how fast I run. But now, I read it, and I am reminded, I have to stop. I’m stuck at home. I’m working from home, our church is gathering online, our relationships have gone almost entirely virtual. Vacations and trips are on hold, conferences, and training have stopped (for the most part).

We are still.

But many of us long for the speed we used to have.

I’m afraid many of us are missing the invitation that God has for us. Before, we missed it because of our addiction to speed and productivity. Today, we are missing it because we hate being home, and we long for speed, so we are giving in to boredom and Netflix.

So, how do we apply this verse in the midst of being at home?

Be still. If you have kids, you are immediately thinking about the advantage of your friends and family without kids have, but that isn’t necessarily reality.

Loneliness, isolation, and boredom are things we are all fighting.

One of the things I am finding helpful is scheduling time to be still, time to reflect, pray, read my bible, listen to worship music. Schedule times to take walks, to slow down.

To experience rest, we still must schedule it like we do our work time.

Know God. I think many of us thought, “If I’m home more, maybe now is the time to start that side hustle, write that book, start that project.” What if this was the season and time for us to know God more, to know Him more deeply. To face some places in our hearts that we have kept hidden from Him?

What if, those of us who follow Jesus are closer to Jesus than before covid?

Give things over to God. Trust Him.

Trust Him with your finances, retirement, your fear, your anxiety.

I shared before about a practice I’ve tried to do, where I write down three things I’m thankful for. This is such an essential time for an exercise like that. To stop and thank God for something. This also helps to reset our hearts on where things are. Yes, things are hard. Yes, things are tough. But God is still God, and each day, we need to remind ourselves of that truth.