Since the circuit breaker began, I’ve been seeing more of my friends posting videos of themselves either picking up a new skill or revisiting an old hobby of theirs.

Excess time can actually distract us from what’s truly important.

Many of us now have more time on our hands – so when better than now to enjoy the activities we could not do in our “normal” lives?

Ironically, the problem is that an excess of time can actually distract us from what’s truly important.

As a friend of mine puts it: “We find ourselves with greater ownership of our time but strangely, also losing a sense of control and rhythm to our lives as we once knew.”

So raise your hand if, like me, you’ve missed out on your Quiet Time (QT) because of all the new things you can do during the circuit breaker.

What I’ve found useful in times like this is to join a group of people for worship and devotion.

Think of it like going to the library to study: When you’re in a room filled with other people mugging, you suddenly feel a lot more motivated to stay focused.

Similarly, when we are in a virtual room with people worshipping and meditating, it helps us remain disciplined in our time with God.

I’ll share 2 online resources that I’ve found useful in helping me to maintain the discipline of QT with God.

1. Worship with Awaken Generation

Awaken Generation (AG) is no stranger to the local worship scene. As a worship school in Singapore, they aim to mentor a generation of worship musicians and creatives.

“Contending for revival and championing unified worship and prayer in our nation has always been the heart and mission of Awaken Generation,” shared Alarice Hong, a senior leader and resident mentor with AG.

“And like many of us, when COVID-19 began to escalate, we had to ask ourselves: ‘What does worship look like if we are not able to physically gather?’”

Will we praise and worship God when no one else is looking and when there’s no one around to “lead” us?

Despite the bleak situation, Alarice believes that God is doing a beautiful thing in this season: “I believe the Lord is encouraging the church to learn to be leaders of worship ourselves – learning first to minister to the Lord in our own lives and then leading our families to worship Him.”

While not everyone may be skilled in singing or playing an instrument, Alarice says that people can still cultivate a worshipper’s heart in this time.

“Even amongst the chaos, we sensed that the Lord was leading His church into a place of consecration. To let go of our ‘idols’ that we had put our trust in and be confronted with what our faith is really about.”

Alarice was talking about the bottom line: What are we left with when everything is stripped away? Will the Church still have fire in her heart to praise and worship God alone in their rooms?

Will we praise and worship God when no one else is looking and when there’s no one around to “lead” us?

Just like how Paul and Silas saw God move powerfully with salvation and freedom when they were worshipping Him from the confines of their prison cells, Alarice believes there will be a great awakening as we rise to declare God’s goodness even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

“He is resurrecting altars of worship in every believer’s household at this moment,” she said.

To that end, AG is opening up a space where the wider body of Christ can learn to sit and dwell in His presence from their own homes to worship God.

“Over the years, we’ve equipped worship musicians and leaders across Singapore in our school,” Alarice explained. “We thought this would be the best time for them to arise and be mobilised to lead from their homes via livestream.

“We are also sensing that as we pursue Him this way, the Lord will release new prophetic songs that will bring strength, direction and encouragement to the church in this hour. We are going after the new song of the Lord (Psalm 98).

For the month of April, Awaken Generation will have Online Worship Rooms up on their YouTube channel every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10pm. Anyone and everyone is welcomed to join, so mark down the dates and times! You can also follow them on Instagram to know what’s going on.

2. Reflect with Micah Contemplatives

You could also explore joining a community of people passionate about intimacy with God.

This was what the people behind Micah Singapore decided to do: in the week leading up to Good Friday, they embarked on a program at midday involving contemplation and silence.

The daily practice involves spending about 30 minutes together on a video call to still their souls in quiet reflection.

A meditation leader was rostered each day to select a simple prompt consisting of a Bible passage, poem, song or piece of art. Then, contemplation together in silence for about 30 minutes, concluding with a simple written reflection or prayer in the “chat” column of the video call.

The program’s participants found this practice spiritually refreshing. “Many of us discovered deeper and more resonating truths to familiar passages, met God in fresh ways through an unexpected creative medium, and learnt a lot from reading each others’ prayers,” Jonathan Cho, one of the members shared.

“I, too, have come to realise that God often speaks in whispers, not shouts, and that He is more often than not, found in the silence of things,” he added, emphasising the importance of attentiveness.

“Unless we become a people who know how and when to pay attention, we might miss out on what our Lord is doing or saying,” urged Jonathan. “Surely this is much like the ‘burning bush’ experience that Moses had, by which He came to hear the Voice of God Himself.

“That was an experience which might not have taken place if Moses did not stop to pay attention to the bush that was burning and yet not consumed.”

The program has been so impactful that the group decided to continue practising it twice a week, for as long as circuit breaker measures continue.

They hope for other Christian communities and churches to consider embarking on this practice or similar efforts for themselves in their own small groups.

To that end, Micah Singapore has put together a short guide for how this can be done in your own communities.

To be honest, there are still times when I drag my feet about having my QT. I don’t find it a natural thing to be still and meditate or intentionally worship. 

But every time I come before God and mean it as I connect with Him, I realise it’s good for my soul. There’s realignment and peace. And isn’t that what we all need during this time of uncertainties?

So don’t just go through the motions. Carve out some time during this circuit breaker period to sit by His feet.

Because if not now, then when?