WATCHWORD:
And this righteousness will bring peace.
Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.
Isaiah 32:17
The Lord Speaks: Today I want you to take a deep breath and consider a better way. My Word will give you the answers you need. Realize that a spirit of quietness and confidence only comes when you stop and focus on Me.
Meditation:
A New Normal! Too often that phrase seems to apply to things changing in your life from good to bad, like a medical diagnosis or loss of loved one. Or, the change is from good to “gooder”! You know, like marriage or new babies (especially the first one), or a promotion.
For us, it is a phrase that most assuredly applies to these past two months and continuing on into the yet-to-be-determined end time.
Sometimes that ‘New Normal’ is a choice, a decision that one makes because of something or someone has entered our lives. Take for example this little bit of an essay written several years ago:
The surface of the lake was like a mirror. It was cloudy and the sun was behind the man who stood in the boat, still was as if he were a statue. He spoke in a friendly, easy tone. He told stories that made the people that lined the hillside think. Stories that engaged the listener, and told of common events in their lives. Stories that carried a lesson. Stories that made people think how they were living their lives, and suggested ways that honored others. He told stories that related their farming experience and background to changed lives. He told stores of reaching out to others, being generous and loving. He spoke of loving your neighbor, being faithful to God, and putting behind them things that they cherished more than their faith in God. As he spoke, more and more people gathered. They liked what he was saying, his words touched them deeply. The Inn on Jericho Road
Sometimes God speaks to us and it makes a difference. Maybe we weren’t there near the Sea of Galilee listening to our Lord and Savior, but he was with us during that great conversation we had with a friend. Or perhaps in the Zoom of the other day with family. How about that old movie, the funny one, the one you had seen 20 times before, yet you laughed until tears came. Or in the very prayers we offer to Him.
The words of a country/western song come to mind: “And I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I watched an eagle as it was flying…”
Oh, yes, He is with us.
Be honest, this new normal of ours has sharpened our senses, and we are changing, and the change isn’t all bad. Maybe our ability to appreciate little things is clearer, to value friendship more, or, as the song says, love deeper. Somewhere in our personal sphere we realize that God is doing a good work in you and I…and He will see it through to completion.
Gratefulness. Maybe that is our true new normal. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Sign of our times — If you’re grouchy, rude, impatient, or inconsiderate there will be a $10 charge just for putting up with you.
Like mushrooms? – Check our Gary Morgan’s Facebook site! Mushroom nut!
Remember – You wear a mask for the other person, they wear a mask for you. Mask-up! Stay safe, stay home.
Reminder to Men in Mission – We will not meet before May 27. We will re-visit this later in the month.
Closing Prayer:
Father, we are tempted to worry about so many things. Our world is a mess! Forgive us for focusing on anything or anyone but You. Thank You for the Bible that equips and empowers us to live each day. Right now, we declare that You are our only Hope. Please help us remember that You really are in control. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
