16 April 2020
Washing our hands, wearing face masks, eating healthily to strengthen our immune response and maintaining social distancing have become the norm for most Hong Kong people. Hong Kong has even been praised by other countries for our discipline in suppressing the transmission of COVID-19. We might take pride in our daily discipline, but can we say that also for our spiritual discipline? If we are so diligent in taking measures to protect our physical health, then how much more should we develop our spiritual discipline to protect our spiritual health and to strengthen our walk with God.
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come”
1 Timothy 4:7-8.
Isolation and social distancing is grim and most of us want it to end as soon as possible. But sometimes this social distance and working from home is actually providing us a good environment to practise spiritual discipline. As the world slows down, most places are closed and with less distraction, we actually have more time for God. Spiritual discipline is not just a way of thinking, it is an action. We should make good use of this prolonged isolation time to cultivate our passion for God. Some believe in the 21-day theory, claiming that if you repeat something for 21 days straight it will become a habit. So if isolation has to last for another 21 days, how would you use it?
“Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:1-2
Meditate on the bible
Spending time on God’s Word is the most important spiritual discipline. From the Bible we can know God better, be reminded of His character, His love and what Jesus has done for us.
How often do we have a quick glimpse of the scriptures and then put our Bible away?. For us to really grow in our faith we need to let God’s Word travel from our eyes to our mind and into our heart. It is not just a matter of reading, but of meditating on God’s Word and allowing it to change us and let it be the pillar of our joy.
Luke 11:28 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Once you have read the passage, pick out one word or sentence you want to mediate on and think about throughout your day. Ask yourself if this text applies to a specific situation you are going through and use God’s Word to help you respond in a godly way. Pray through the text and ask the Holy Spirit to intensify your spiritual perception. Challenge yourself to memorise Bible passages. Before, you might have been listening to an audio version when you were commuting to work, which can limit you to passive listening. Now if you have time to read God’s Word at home you can try to read aloud or to write it down a few times. There are so many benefits of memorising the scriptures in the long run. In Ephesians, Paul describes the word of God as the Sword of the spirit. Be ready and equip yourself to fight our spiritual battles, we never know when they will appear. This could be when you are experiencing something difficult or a challenging conversation with a non-believer, have the words ready on your lips to speak the truth.
Embrace solitude and quietness
We are so used to the busyness of the world and so immune to noise pollution that we naturally block out what God is trying to speak/whisper to us. When worldviews, people’s opinions, toxic conversations and worrying news reports become louder than God, we can use this isolation period to practise withdrawing ourselves from these noises and regain our spiritual perspective. Even Jesus tells his disciples to find a quiet place to rest.
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
Fellowship is important and we should long to meet together again and not be complacent about isolation. But when we are alone, we can still rejoice in isolation because we can still be in the presence of God. Let’s use this time to give our undivided attention to God.
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalms 27:4
Journaling
Now with the gyms shut down, entertainment venues closed and hiking trails packed with people, you might be looking for a new hobby. Why not try journaling, whether it is by writing or by art, let us record God’s work in our lives. It could be a diary, insights from the scripture you read, prayer diary or a list of gratitudes and blessings. Just like Psalms and Lamentations, you can express your emotions and feelings to God. The beauty of journaling is that you can always look back to it when you are going through a difficult situation and be reminded how God delivered and blessed you in the past.
During this pandemic, we see how little control we have on this world and we don’t know when it will all end. But what we do control is how we use our time. For a more in depth guide I recommend Donald’s Whitney’s “Spiritual Discipline for the Christian Life”. Don’t just wait for the COVID-19 to be over, live through it.
Anita Li
