WATCHWORD:
And this righteousness will bring peace.
Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.
Isaiah 32:17
Meditation:
New Normal?
The Lord speaks to us: 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.
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 a loved one. Or, the change is from good to “gooder”! You know, like getting married or a new baby (especially the first one), or earning a promotion. Over the past few years we have gone through a number of ‘New Normals’. 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. (Excerpt from 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. 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 that speaks to a ‘New Normal’: “And I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I watched an eagle as it was flying…”
Oh, yes, He is with us in so many different ways.
Be honest, we may call it a ‘new normal’ but the reality is that we are in a constant state of change and it isn’t all bad. Maybe our ability to appreciate little things is clearer as we age, value friendships more, or, as the song says, we love deeper. Somewhere in our personal sphere we realize that God is doing a good work in you and me…and He will see it through to completion.
Gratefulness; we pray that is a characteristic of our new normal. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
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, that You are our normal. Thank you for that grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
