How God walked me through lockdown

EPIGRAPH

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

—Jeremiah 29:11–13 (ESV

I WAITED

I waited a long time for you to return.

I waited and watched and longed for your “Yes.”

When you said yes, My heart leapt for joy,

I held My arms open and you ran straight to Me.

Come, my child, let us rejoice,

You have come home to Me, where you belong.

You have forgotten the years you were away from Me.

You see I have melted that time away.

You were always My child and I was always your God.

Prologue

I am not a theologian or an expert on the Bible. I am just an ordinary person, and this is very much a personal story. I began writing a journal in 2020 when the lockdowns began. I usually wrote during my prayer time. Prayer time is the time I set aside to spend time with God in my room. I focus my mind and heart on Him, though I do think we can pray at any time. A prayer can be as simple as “Thank you God for getting me through the night.” I am a prodigal daughter. I came to know Jesus in a very profound way when I was twenty-one and walked closely with Him until I was twenty-seven. Then, I began to drift farther and farther away to the point where I was leading an immoral and Godless life. I was even at the point where I had no fear of God whatsoever. Still, I couldn’t forget His love, which had such a deep impact on me all those years ago. I began the process of returning to Him when I was forty-two. In 2018, when my health was poor, God drew me into a more intimate walk with Him as I began to spend time in prayer most days. Having the habit of regular prayer time already set up helped me when the lockdowns were imposed in 2020. I do believe that God, in His love, was preparing me for the time that lay ahead, though I didn’t know it at the time. This book is my testimony of how, during the very difficult time of the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdowns, God gave me a place of rest and filled me with His joy and peace, and He saw me through it all.

Introduction

When I wrote this journal during my prayer time, I wrote down the scriptures I read which resonated the most with how I was feeling that day. Some scriptures were added in later when I decided to write this book. The word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. It is the living word, and it has the power to change your life, if you let it. I think many people have a misconstrued idea of God in their minds. I know I had before I came to know Him. In these writings, and through the scriptures, I hope you can begin to see God for who He is, and that by having a personal relationship with God, you can begin to live a life that is meaningful and full of hope. I am speaking of God of the Holy Trinity; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. Jesus is my God, my true friend, and my constant companion. It is the Holy Spirit, the living spirit of God, that dwells within me, that has changed my heart and mind over the last number of years. God says that he will give you a heart of love and not of stone. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26–27 ESV) 1 PART I Spring 2020 Background to the Lockdowns in Ireland, Facing Lockdown, Jesus as a Servant The first case of the virus in Ireland, a teenaged boy who had traveled from Northern Italy after being on a skiing trip with his school, was diagnosed on the twenty-ninth of February 2020. The boy’s school in Dublin closed on the first of March for two weeks. On the twelfth of March, our Tánaiste (vice president) Leo Varadkar made a State of the Nation Address from Washington, DC. He spoke of the threat posed by the virus and “preparing for all eventualities.” He spoke of people dying from the virus, especially older people and people with chronic health conditions. He clarified that the effects of the virus would be mild for the majority of people. He stated that we were in “unchartered territory.” A two-week closure of schools, colleges, and childcare facilities was announced and commenced the following day. Cultural institutions would also be closed. All indoor mass gatherings of more than one hundred people and outdoor mass gatherings of more than five hundred

people were canceled. People were to go to work, but, if possible, work from home. Shops would remain open, and plans were put in place to ensure the supply chain would not be interrupted. Restaurants and cafés would stay open and were to look at ways of implementing social distancing and protective measures. People were to reduce their social interactions as much as possible. The public houses were ordered to close on the fifteenth of March.