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As of right now, most of the world finds themselves in lockdown due to the COVID-19 crisis. This made me ask myself: What does “lockdown” mean to someone who is a child of God? The following devotional is God’s answer to me:
L = Live by Faith: "For we live by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV); "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed -- a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" (Romans 1:17 NIV). See also Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38.
O = Obey the voice of the LORD your GOD: "Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you." (Jeremiah 26:13 NIV)
C = Confession: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (James 5:16 NIV). See also Romans 10:9.
K = Know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells IN YOU: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV). See also Col. 1:10.
D = Deliverance: "You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah." (Psalm 32:7 NIV). See also Luke 21:28.
O = Obey Jesus Christ: "...according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure." (1 Peter 1:2 NIV)
W = Worship God: "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You." (Psalm 22:27 NIV). See also 1 Cor. 14:25.
N = Nothing can separate you from God: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)
Let's remember in these times the story of Paul in prison. The story is found in Acts 16:25-30, and we see that even though he was in the innermost dungeon, he wasn't complaining: Rather, He was...Singing praises to God! "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them..." (vs. 25 NIV). As you read on through the passage, you see that the rescue and deliverance happened while they were praising God: "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose." (vs. 26 NIV).
Our present day enemies don't want us to bind together in praise and worship any more than the demons who stood against the early church. How should we react in our lockdown situations? Why not us join in the Spirit and worship Our Heavenly Father with praise!
But wait. Who feels like being joyful in lockdown?
As Christians we have plenty of reason to praise God in any situation. Here are a few from Ps. 85, all taken from the NIV:
1. "You, Lord, showed favor to Your land; You restored the fortunes of Jacob." (Vs. 1)
2. "You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins." (Vs. 2)
3. "You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger." (Vs. 3)
4. God will not be angry with us forever: "Will you be angry with us forever? will you prolong your anger through all generations?" (Vs. 5)
5. "Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?" (Vs. 6)
6. "Show us Your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us Your salvation." (Vs. 7)
7. "...he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants -- but let them not turn to folly." (Vs. 8)
8. "Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land." (Vs. 9)
9. "Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven." (Vs 10-11)
10. "The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest." (Vs 12)
11. "Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps." (Vs. 13)
"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord show you his kindness and have mercy on you. May the Lord watch over you and give you peace." (Numb. 6:24-26 NIV)
Sophie Chun Ngeth
"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:10 NIV)
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