Never in my life before March 2020 had I come across the word ‘lockdown’ with its meaning, that for our protection from the virus, most places were shut, including the doors of our houses. Lockdown has meant different experiences for different people. For the most vulnerable, it has meant ‘imprisonment’ in their homes, for others it has meant no work or money. For many it has meant months without seeing loved ones. Some freedoms have been curtailed for absolutely everyone, whatever their circumstance. During lockdown, some people have found themselves busier than ever, for others, the time has hung heavy, with little to do. Some people have used the time to learn a language or new skill, others have knitted and sewed avidly or completed DIY projects and painted pictures. Some have learnt to love Zoom!
There are a number of stories in the Bible of people in lockdown – literally imprisoned, and it is amazing how God uses those experiences to bring about changes in lives. Think about Jonah in lockdown in the whale, and how God used that experience to literally turn Jonah around. Joseph was wrongly accused and found himself in lockdown in prison, but God used his gift of interpreting dreams, to not only set Joseph free, but save Israel from starvation. Daniel refused to bow down to a human ‘God’ and found himself in lockdown with lions – not socially distanced either, but God honoured Daniel’s faith, and he was set free, unscathed.
Paul and Silas sang in their lockdown prison (we can’t do that yet!) and after an earthquake, when they didn’t escape, even though they could have done, the jailer and his family were baptised, and Paul and Silas set free. Peter was set free from lockdown prison by an angel, and that increased the faith of the converts.
Perhaps we need to think of how God has used our time in lockdown to change us, teach us or challenge us. Our patience has sorely been tested and that might have blinded us to the blessings we have received. Maybe we have been so anxious for release to normality and freedom, that we have been unaware of what God has been doing in our lives.
I wonder what we will think in the future, when we look back on these months of lockdown. Will we remember them as a test of endurance and a negative experience, or one of fruitfulness in a time of adversity.