Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
As parents, we’ve had to adjust the way we discipline our children from time to time as they grow and as the culture changes….with especially major differences from the time when I was growing up. For example, when I was young and got in trouble, I was sent to my room, in which was my bed and a bunch of books. There was no TV, radio, internet, or phone. It was a time-out given to re-evaluate my attitude and behavior.
These days, when we need to discipline our children, we take away their phones, their tablets, and their computers, and give them a book to read. Such are the challenges of modern parenting.
People are asking me what I think of the current pandemic, how I interpret it, especially from God’s perspective. And I can’t help but see a parallel in which our Heavenly Father is disciplining His children whom He loves. It seems to me that our Abba (Dad) has sent us to our room to re-evaluate our attitude and behavior, and hopefully to read and meditate on His Book in a quiet time separated from the world and our normal frantic activities. One big difference, however, is that He did not (yet) take away our TVs, radios, tablets, or computers…(though that may be coming later).
How is the Lord’s discipline affecting you? Being “sent to your room” for a season has a good and important purpose if you’ll accept it. Just as good parenting is intended to shape character and bring children to maturity, our Father’s discipline is an opportunity that should not be missed, avoided, or scorned. He’s giving us time to re-evaluate our lives, draw near to Him, seek and pray to Him to better understand the serious times in which we’re living, and prepare…for what we’re called to do for the Kingdom in the coming days. God disciplines those He loves. His “schoolroom” has eternity in mind. Don’t miss the opportunity to “go to your room”, (shut the door, pray etc…)