What is God Doing with the Church Right Now?

Guest Author: Faith Stewart

Maybe you saw the meme floating around last week.  The one that said something like “What if the quarantine is just the aliens fattening us up for the harvest?”  I shared it.  It was funny.  But it also got me thinking.  I mean, I don’t know if we can contribute this debacle to anything or anyone specifically, but I do know who allowed it to happen.  Not only that, I know who knew all along that is was going to happen.

God was not surprised.  As believers, we know that.  As the crisis unfolded and we began to see what was actually happening and how far reaching it really was, I kept picturing God hitting the reset button.  Like the one on the old NES systems, remember?  You could hit reset and start over.  Kind of like he did in the flood, but yet, different.

What is God Doing with the Church Right Now?

What if, this, right now, is God “fattening up” His Church for one last push.  I don’t know when the end of the world will come.  I don’t know when Jesus will return.  The Bible says even Jesus doesn’t know that.  What I do know, is that there are millions of people in the world who do not know Him.  I also know that myself, and millions of believers like me, until recently spent our days knowing we needed to do more to change that.  However, we felt helpless to jump off the merry-go-round of life.  So much was happening in our daily lives that we kept pushing witnessing to the back burner.

Then Covid-19 happened.  No sports.  No practices.  No gym. No movies. No going out to eat. We have all the time in the world to do… what?  I’ll tell you what we as the Church need to be doing.  We need to be feasting, fattening up on God’s word so that, when the opportunity comes, we can get that word out. I don’t know when the end is coming, but I know it is coming.  I know I want as many people to know Him as possible before it comes.

What does this time of “fattening up” look like practically for believers?  Well, first, if you need to get down and dirty with God about something, now is that time.  Do it. Today.  Next, consider these tips.

Pray More

You know how you never had time to pray for hours on end like you read about heroes in the Bible doing?  Guess what you have a lot more of now?  Time.  Maybe you’re still working, but from home.  Guess what? That commute time that you’ve been sleeping through could be spent praying.  Maybe your compensating by staying up later than normal watching movies or binging Netflix.  That’s awesome and fun, and there is nothing wrong with it.  Still, you could take just some of that time for prayer.

Remember, prayer is more than just talking.  Prayer is a conversation.  It’s listening to what God has to say and responding to it as much as it talking to God.  It’s not one sided. Not sure how to listen to God?  “Becoming a Woman Who Listens to God” by Sharon Jaynes is a great resource, and there are many others.

Overwhelmed with all there is to pray for?  There are tons of books and study guides to help you.  My personal favorite is “A Busy Woman’s Guide to Prayer” by Cheri Fuller.

Study More

Use some of the extra time for extra study.  You’ll find amazing truths your never saw before.  No matter if you have never studied God words or if you are used to deep, productive Bible study, there is always more to learn. You can always dig deeper. If you aren’t used to studying God’s word, here are some tips to get you started.

• Pray before you start. Ask God to show you “great and unsearchable things that you do not know.”  (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV).  He will open your eyes if you ask.
• Read with expectation. Read with faith knowing God has a word for you and He will reveal it.
• Understand that you may not understand that word or what He is showing you right away. He may be preparing you for another time.  Keep going.  You won’t be sorry.
• Bible study books and guides are great, but you do not absolutely need them. God’s word is enough.  It’s all you need.  If you need more structure and do not have a Bible study book, try the SOAK method. It’s my favorite.  Soak stands for:
  • Scripture
  • Observation
  • Application
  • Kneel

All you need to “SOAK” in God’s word is a Bible, a writing utensil, and a notebook.

I can’t take credit for the SOAK method by the way.  I found it at Women Living Well years ago and fell in love with this way of studying God’s word.  There are many variations of it out there.

Don’t Wait to Share

Even though things are starting to open back up, we don’t know how this is going to play out.  Don’t wait to share what you are learning.  God in His sovereignty did not allow this to happen until the world was connected by technology.  Use it for His glory!  Share what you are learning anyway you can.  Social media would be much better if we all did just that.

Give More

Hear me out.  Many have lost jobs.  The economy is in shambles.  Financially, many have nothing to give.  However, if you are one who is blessed to still have a job and are in financially good standing, use it.  If you are saving right now on gas, not eating out, and paying for kids’ sports and other activities, consider using that savings for God’s glory to help those who are not in that position.

Be Still

Be still and know that right now, we are all just surviving.  God has a plan.  I don’t know it.  You don’t know it.  Some of you are struggling mightily during this time.  I know that.  I am not saying that taking these steps will help you find a job, or pay the bills, or figure out how to put food on the table.  I do know though, that I have never spent extra time in prayer, added time to my Bible study, or told someone about something God said to me and wished I hadn’t.  Let’s make the most of this time and feast on God.  Let’s fatten ourselves up to be strong for the soul harvest that needs to happen now, before it’s too late.

~Faith Stewart

Faith Stewart is a wife, mom, and freelance writer. After college, she and her husband started their family and now raise their family in the Memphis, TN area. She loves Jesus, family, coffee, and dry shampoo…in that order.