Looking for Normal

 

I have always thought I lived a “normal” life. My “highs” are joyful and my “lows” are not life threatening. “Normal” is enough for me.

Then Covid 19 hit America. Normal seems to encompass so much more than I realized.

• Going out without anxiety of catching a disease or, worse, that I would spread it (even though I am asymptomatic!).
• Enjoying my family at holidays and even a random Sunday dinner, now forbidden as if it were criminal to fellowship.
• Hugging friends when I see them.Freely worshipping with like-minded believers without the fear of being “caught” with too many people in the room.
• Going with my grandchildren to enjoy a local museum or park – not good for them now!

These things are the “old” normal.

Biblically speaking, should we expect “normal” in our day? Do servants of God ever get to have a real routine or “normal” life?

Yesterday, our U.S. House of Representatives was opened for 2021 with a prayer from a United Methodist minister. Near the end of the prayer he said, “Bless us, and keep us, May the Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us and give us peace – peace in our families, peace across this land, and there I ask, oh Lord, peace even in this chamber. Now, and evermore.”

He concluded it like this:

“We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and God known by many names by many different things. Amen and awoman,”

American, this is not the “old normal.” We have slowly but surely allowed many prayers to many gods. This one seems to have been made public because of the ignorance displayed in “Amen and awoman.” However, blasphemy, asking for the blessing of the Lord as His word instructs us (Numbers 6:25-26) and then clearly praying to other gods (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 8:19), is a far more concerning problem than his closing!

When the Israelites turned to other gods or even other worldly leaders for their help, God warned them and then acted against them in judgment. Our God is a jealous God. When we look back historically and see how He has blessed this nation, we have to see that He is taking away the blessing and giving us the fruits of our own idolatry as a nation.

He reminded His people and we need to hear the warning: There is One Triune God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — worthy of our allegiance and our worship and our trust. This prayer is blasphemous, as have many others been before it.

I feel for the faithful members of the United Methodist Church as they were poorly represented in this prayer. I pray they will stand up firmly against it and honor the One True God.

If we do not cry out and exalt His Name above every other name, what more could we ever ask of Him?  Should we be expecting Him to honor our requests?

As Christians, our “normal” should be to love the Lord by obeying His commands. As we study the Prophets and even Christ Himself, there was no “normal” except that they were obedient to God’s commands.

Tougher times of “new normal” seem to be headed our way. As Christians, we need to learn God’s Word so we recognize blasphemy when it is spoken before us. Like Joshua, we must choose this day whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15).