The New Normal

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?  Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  Exodus 13:10-13

I was listening to a sermon the other day, and the pastor said something that was so spot on.  He spoke of dealing with the seismic events that change things from what they have been to a new way of life.  We all have a clear understanding of what that looks like today, and no matter our belief system, we realize that what we viewed as normal a month or two ago will never be the same again.  He pointed out some of us will have this level of nostalgia longing for not only the good things of yesterday but also many of the things we used to complain about.

As I pondered those words he spoke, I asked myself about those things that I used to complain about that I somewhat miss now.  I miss seeing my team at work and how they interrupted me in the middle of a task that had a 5:00pm deadline.  But you see, the only difference is that my wife will do it now (giggles).  But I miss them.  All of them!  They matter to me.  We all remember things from our childhood that made us feel good like having the first Atari game system on the block (dating myself).  But we forget our parents had rules, and we could not always go to Kenny’s house because we did not finish our homework.  When we think of spiritual growth, we realize that we must look forward as Paul said, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child.  But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11) What I am getting at is that seismic change is another way of God saying you need to do something different.  But all because we need to do something different does not mean He has changed.  In fact, the thing that may need to change is our dependency on Him.

God driven change requires forward thinking.  Not backward.  Let’s circle back (with a forward lens 😊) to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.  For those keeping score, I wrote about this back in February (see https://trdailydevotional.blogspot.com/2020/02/taking-care-of-itself.html).  As I was driven back to these verses, the thought was not on how we should trust God as I wrote back then.  That is a given.  Instead today’s focus is on why the Israelites did not trust God.  Here is where context is critical, and therefore the pastor’s message was outstanding to point this out.  The Israelites had been in bondage for over four centuries.  That means five generations of knowing nothing but building pyramids, being whipped, and having a little something to eat.  That is the only life they had known.  So now having the experience of freedom for the very first time, they are being chased down by Pharaoh’s army.  The God that led them out was their ‘new normal.’  It was unknown.  Of course, what they knew for generations was going to look better!  They did not yet understand God’s protection.  That’s why they said, “It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness.”  When threatened, don’t we run to what we know, too?  Might we too fail to recognize what God is doing?  I am not saying to not long for some of the things that are good in our lives.  A sibling’s hug.  Girls night out.  Men’s Bible Study just before Monday Night Football.  What I am saying is there is probably a lot God wants us to change, and now is that time.  More time with family and spouse.  Healing old wounds.  Getting rid of a bad habit or toxic relationship.  Finding new ways to connect with Him.

God has gifted you with an opportunity today!  In the prophecy of Isaiah speaking of the coming of Jesus, He said, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)  We have a choice.  We can clamor for the way things used to be.  Or, we can take inventory in our lives, and look to God to break chains of bondage and make passage through our Red Sea of impossibility.  Let us move forward in this time of drastic change.  What can you do differently today to connect and reconnect with God?  With others?  What actions will you take going forward in your own spiritual growth?  My prayer is we take a moment and look enthusiastically forward to ‘The New Normal.’  Amen.

Make The Change

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”  Exodus 12:31-32

At various points of my life, I have dealt with situations where I was certain of something only to change my mind.  It wasn’t that I really changed.  However, the circumstances had changed which forced me to adjust.  A few years ago, my daughter cheered for a certain team.  She got along with several of the teachers at the gym, and both my wife and me formed relationships with the parents along with our daughters.  I was certain we would be back the following year where I thought it would be her gym for the remainder of her cheer career.  However, she was kept with a lower skilled group even as her skills had advanced to another level.  I understood the reason behind the gym’s decision, and it put me in a place to make a tough choice.  Do I honor the relationships built and stay when I said we’d be back for sure, or focus on what would be best for my daughter’s career and change gyms?  We chose the latter, and that was the best decision we could have ever made.

When you are stuck with a certain decision, God will make provisions so that you can change for His will to be done.  In the story of Moses, I moved a few chapters ahead because it had become like a washer machine cycle; wash, rinse, and repeat.  In this case, the dialogue between God and Moses and Pharaoh had this cycle to it. One, God instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh to free God’s people or else.  Two, Pharaoh says, “No.”  Three, ‘or else’ comes to happen.  There are variations where Pharaoh will move a little on God’s demand (you can take the men, or take the people, but nothing else), but as God predicted, Pharaoh’s heart was always hardened to not give God what He wanted.  Note the conversation between Pharaoh and Moses after a bunch of plagues and miracles:

“Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

“Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.”  Exodus 10:28-29

Yet after God killed the firstborn of every Egyptian during what would become the Passover, Pharaoh finally relented.  God continued to change the circumstances over and repeatedly until getting the desired result.  There was a play years ago that was simply titled, “Your Arms Too Short to Box With God.”  There are times we are just determined to either fight for our way or push to keep our own way of doing things.  We must realize that our God is relentless in His pursuit of our hearts, and if we commit to Him, this will at times be our battle.  Our goal is to be wise enough to know that is what is occurring and change accordingly.

God wants what is best for us.  This at times will cause Him to bend situations to ensure we understand this.  Sometimes it is a subtle hint.  Other times, He will break us causing us to fall on our knees.  But like the woman where no one cast the first stone, He will forgive and encourage us to live like Christ.  Let us be aware of God’s prompting when He wants us to move closer toward Him.  When has God moved you to change direction?  How can you be spiritually aware of the changes God wants from you?  My prayer is that we focus on the growth God is challenging us to make, and simply make the change.  Amen.

Thursday Devotional - One Constant in Change

Did you know that the parting of the Red Sea when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt wasn’t the only time God miraculously parted water? After the spies scouted out Jericho with the protection of Rahab, Joshua led the people to the Jordan River where God stopped it up, too, so they could cross on dry ground. Not only did it display God’s power to this new generation of Israelites, but it confirmed to the people that God had chosen and was with Joshua, just as He had chosen and been with Moses.

Joshua 3:5-13     Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

⁶ Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

⁷ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.⁸ Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. ¹¹ See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. ¹² Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

With all the reorganization taking place in our company, there are a lot of changes happening. Change often triggers confusion and insecurity. As unstable as things feel, there is always One constant and that is God Himself!

God revealed His continued presence with the Israelites while they experienced significant change in leadership and location! He can do the same for us. We can trust Him and His plans. Our powerful God provides all that’s needed for His purposes.

When has God revealed His unmistakable power to show you and me He’s trustworthy? With whom will you and I share it?

The One constant - God - is the Lord of all the earth!  

Alice