The lockdowns associated with the coronavirus pandemic have produced some unexpected results in the natural world.

With fewer vehicles and industrial machines operating, noise pollution has been reduced so dramatically that seismologists can hear sounds from inside the planet that they couldn’t detect previously.

In cities, reduced traffic noise is allowing people to hear birdsong, the chatter of squirrels, and the chirping of crickets like never before. People have been surprised to discover that they can now hear the flapping of birds’ wings as they pass overhead.

A quieter environment is probably also allowing animals to hear each other better. City birds usually have to sing more loudly than their country cousins to make themselves heard above the urban cacophony: perhaps their mates and rivals can hear them more easily now. With a reduction in ship traffic, marine mammals might also be finding that they can contact each other with greater ease now that there is less “acoustic smog” in the oceans.

If we can hear the creation better during the lockdowns, and creation can hear itself better, can we hear our Creator better?

Is there an upside to the stay-home orders in place around much of the globe? Do we have an opportunity to turn our attention to God in ways we couldn’t before?

Before the virus hit, many of us were too busy to pay much heed to God. We were consumed with work and family obligations. Any spare time was taken up with sports and entertainment.

But not now. Thanks to the unprecedented shutdowns of much of our normal activity, we’re being forced to be still.

During this season of stillness, many of us are taking stock of our lives, re-evaluating our motives and attitudes and what’s really important to us. We’re reconsidering how we’ve been living and where our lives are going. For many, part of that equation involves paying attention to spiritual matters.

Scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 NLT)

Thanks to the pandemic, we have no choice but to be still. We suddenly have fewer distractions than before, and have the opportunity to consider eternal issues.

We have the “be still” part down right now, but will we take the next step and get to know God our Creator? With so many things in our world shaking and crumbling, will we turn to the only source of stability, our Heavenly Father?

The best way to get to know God is through his Word, which can mean both the written word of the Bible and the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. If you don’t have a Bible of your own, there are plenty of online resources, such as Bible Hub, BibleGateway, and YouVersion, the Bible App.

If you’d like to get to know Jesus through film, among the many excellent resources are the Jesus Film Project and the Visual Bible. The Jesus Film is a two-hour movie depicting the story of the gospel, available in more than 1,000 languages. The Visual Bible: Matthew is a four-hour miniseries portraying the life of Jesus, presented word-for-word from the New International Version of the Gospel of Matthew.

If you need prayer, you can contact the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association or 100 Huntley Street. Counsellors there would be privileged to talk to you about Jesus or to help you with fears you might be having during this pandemic.

Whatever you do, please don’t let this season of stillness go to waste. When all of this is over, I hope you’ll have more to show for it than just a freshly organized closet or some new recipes that you found online.

I hope you’ll have developed a deeper relationship with your Creator, one that will last for eternity!

© 2020 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.