Right now, the world is in isolation and quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing a lot of unrest in the world. One of the more deadly side-effects of this mandatory social distancing is the feeling of loneliness which consumes too many people. As I have been praying for many people who are feeling isolated and alone in this season, I felt the Lord’s presence stirring in me the greatest promise Jesus made when He left this earth. That is, “I am with you always…” (Matthew 28:20).

Personally, as an introvert, I was social distancing before it was mandatory. However, I know that many of you need personal interaction and relationship to keep you going. So I do pray that you are not being led into depression and anguish during this season of isolation. However, I want to remind you that you are not alone. The Holy Spirit is with you, and is ready to engage with you as a friend if you will give Him the opportunity.

With this in mind, I want to share three ways we can build our relationship with God during this season.

1. Get Comfortable in the Secret Place

One of the topics I talk about most is having relationship and hearing God’s voice. That is because I strongly believe that Christianity truly is, as the old cliche says, a relationship, not a religion. Over the years, my own relationship with the Holy Spirit has grown incredibly personal, and I have learned to discern His voice speaking to me on a daily basis. That is not only a promise for “prophets.” Jesus said that all of His sheep would know His voice and follow Him (John 10:27).

While I have coached many people in hearing God’s voice for themselves, too many people miss the most important part, and that is to take time to practice hearing Him. There are many great teachings on how to hear Him speaking. There are many books that give keys to grow in your ability to hear. There are many leaders who can lead in times of activation, allowing you to have the experience yourself for the first time. Yet, none of those things will make you any more effective at hearing the Lord speak, if you do not take time daily to sit down in a quiet place and listen.

Again, these keys I learned would not have made any difference in my life, if I didn’t take the time to practice them regularly.

Right now, as you are staying home, limiting social interaction, and trying to balance your sanity with social media and binge watching television, I don’t want you to miss this great opportunity to spend time with the Lord in prayer, and to get comfortable in the secret place with Him. He is right there with you, and ready to speak. Take the time to listen. Even if you have never been able to sit in a position of prayer for more than 10 minutes, you have ample time to try, again and again, until the secret place is somewhere you don’t want to leave.

I promise you, once you learn to fellowship with Him in private, and the joys of knowing Him so personally, even the return of normal life in a couple of months will not keep you from returning to the prayer closet again and again.

To learn more about hearing the Lord speaking, you can find my four-part blog series on Hearing God’s Voice here, here, here, and here. 

2. Dig Deep in the Word of God

Another aspect of Christian life that too often gets neglected in our busy routines, is engaging with the Word of God. I know that many of you do spend time daily in the Bible, and that is great. Yet, what I have found in this season of isolation is that God has given us time to go deeper in the Word of God, and learn from Him the principles of the Christian life.

Of course we should be reading our Bibles continually, and seek to know what is there from cover to cover. Some of you read through the whole Bible every year! Our ministry, Sozo Ministries, just shared a Bible reading plan that will take you through the entire New Testament in 21 days, as a free resource during this time. Those things are great, but I am talking about going deeper in our understanding of the Word of God.

Surely there are things the Holy Spirit has whispered to you, that have made you think, “I really need to look into that.” Maybe it is a deep doctrinal truth debated for ages, or it could simply be a small personal curiosity about something in the Word. Either way, you have now been given ample time to dive into the Word and find out. I am talking highlighters, Bible dictionaries, concordances and commentaries! It is a great season to put on your Bible-nerd glasses, and get moving.

The good news is, you don’t have to have a study full of wall-to-wall books. In the days of internet, you can find many commentaries and bible study resources available online for free!

I don’t know how deep you want to take your Bible study, but what I want to encourage you in your journey in the Word is to go in prayerfully and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you in this time. This, too, should be a relationship-building time with the Lord, as He speaks to you personally through His Word!

You can find my post on the R.E.A.P. Bible Study Method here, as well as my two-part series on keeping a Scripture Reading Journal, here and here.

3. Become Your Own Worship Leader

The third thing I have found necessary in times like these, is to create a routine of worship by yourself. With churches closed down to the public and now broadcasting online, it is easy to just watch the worship, rather than engage in our own. However, when we realize that worship is an activity which should invade all that we do, then we can learn to be our own worship leaders.

This doesn’t always have to be singing, although singing is one of the easiest ways to engage in worship. That is why King David filled the tabernacle with musicians and singers who praised the Lord 24/7.

For me, I have taken time in the last few weeks to pull an old hymn book off the shelf, and sing through some of the songs I learned when I first joined church as a teenager. I have also taken up the hobby of learning to play a penny whistle, which I ordered from Amazon over Christmas last year. Playing songs that stir my heart toward the Lord in my solitude has been an enjoyable experience, and I can feel His presence surround me as I play and sing.

The truth is that worship is a form of spiritual warfare, and it changes the atmosphere around us. If you are isolated in this season, and feelings of loneliness and depression are taking hold, worship may be the easiest way to remove yourself from that funk and be drawn into His presence afresh.

Don’t hesitate to switch off Netflix and turn on a YouTube worship channel. Sing along. Lead your family or your kids in praises. Just because we cannot “go to church” does not mean that we cease to be the church. Let’s learn to worship the Lord, even more, in our private lives now, as a way to build that relationship with Him, which will last for years to come!

You can find an Apple Music playlist I created called, Warfare Worship, here.

We Have Time To Engage

To be sure, there are many other ways you can seek to engage with the Lord and deepen your relationship with Him in this season. You might decide to fast. You might spend time creating prophetic works of art or writings. Perhaps you still lead small groups or video chat sessions for intercession. All of these things are great, and there are so many more ways that I can’t even begin to give a complete list.

No matter how you engage with the Lord, my prayer for you in this season is simply that you do. Do not miss the opportunity you have been given, to give the Lord time! I have never met a Christian who lives with too much time on their hands. Busyness always seems to pull us away from relationship with Him. In this season, however, you have been given the gift of time to spare. Let’s choose not to squander it!

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Photo by Jose López Franco on Unsplash