“Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please, because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.  But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land, you must bring everything I command you…”

Soon, yes soon, we will come out of this time where whether we have liked it or not, we have had more control over our time just because so many activities have been taken away. It’s been a weird time for sure, but we can’t say that we haven’t had time to decide what to do with more than we might ever be able to remember.  How will we react when our time returns to being dictated more by others and the forces that go with it (think commutes, in-person events, business dinners, business travel, etc.)?  While I am sure you are like me and will welcome many of these, but I don’t think that they will all be as welcome, or just accepted as they once were.  It might be that we come through this being much more discerning with our time and also more respectful of how we utilize others’ time.

Imagine 40 years of something similar to this time we have been in?  40 years with the same people. 40 years in the same clothes and shoes.  40 years with the same meals.  40 years of being cared for but without really knowing when it would end. That was the plight of the Israelites.  And when their time of wandering was coming to an end God started previewing how things would change for them.  He sent them a “wake up call” and said that when this is all over, I have expectations and commands for you to follow.  Could it be that God is doing the same to each of us now, asking for us to prepare on how we will put Him front and center as we progress back to what we had before?

Reference: Deuteronomy 12:8-11 (New Living Translation)