Returning to a new normal

By Steve Qualls - Christpoint Church

When is this all going to end? When do we get to go back? When will life be back to normal again? Does this sound familiar? Well it should, I would say each one of us has opened “the conversation of when” a few times recently. But actually, in this article, I’m not speaking of our current situation in America and at home nor am I speaking about our national social distancing issue. These words ring eerily true for us, and, when compared to a true story of Israel tucked away in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, we find the people of God in an all-too-familiar situation. I think we can compare ourselves to them, and, maybe, in our slowed down pace, we can learn great truths from their hardships.

The setting is Old Testament Babylon, and the people are exiled there against their will. I guess you could say they were in quarantine in a place they didn’t want to be. They were ripped from their home in Jerusalem and carried off hundreds of miles to a new land belonging to the enemy. In the earlier chapters of Jeremiah, false prophets tell the people not to unpack their bags because they wouldn’t be staying long. He prophesied they would be back home in Jerusalem in no time. He spoke with confidence and persuasion when he said twice that they would return home in two years. The only problem with his “word from the Lord” was that it wasn’t “the word from the Lord.” Israel would not be returning home soon, and they would indeed need to unpack their bags because Jeremiah prophesied the true word of God that they would be staying there for 70 years.

Jeremiah sent a letter to the nation of Israel to tell them a few things from the Lord himself. They are recorded in the 29th chapter of Jeremiah. You know, the popular verse in Jeremiah 29:11. Well, we’re going to get to that. First of all, he tells them not to believe the lies they are hearing. He tells them that they would be slow in getting back to normal. In fact, he told them they should embrace their new normal. He instructed them to buy homes, make peace with their situation, plan weddings, and get used to living in abnormal. His instructions were to thrive and multiply while in Babylon.

God went as far as to tell them the time frame in which they would remain and when they would see the light at the end of the tunnel again. As a matter of fact, after their required 70 years, they rolled into soft transfers back to Jerusalem. They returned in waves.

It is clear that we live in a different season of acceleration in 2020 America. What may have taken years in the Old Testament can take only months today. But I think the lesson remains the same. God will break our will and our pride rather than see us fall away from him any further. So Israel did remain in exile for 70 years. Jeremiah was accurate in what he heard from the lord to tell to the people. The false prophet died an early death at the hand of God and the people found their new normal not once but twice. First they had to establish a new way of life while in lock down and secondly rediscover their rhythm when they returned home years later.

But let’s finish this article with the famous Jeremiah 29:11 verse. He told them everything they didn’t want to hear, then he symbolically held them in is arms when he said, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and give you hope.” Then he gave them the greatest hope in verse 12 when he said, “In your situation, pray because I will hear when you do.”

Let’s be encouraged in this season, not because of us or a stimulus check but because the Lord is still in control. He is still listening to our prayers, and he may just be establishing a new normal for his children, one that involves getting back to our word, dinner at the table with the kids, homework on the couch, and fishing in the afternoon. Maybe Babylon is not such a bad place if we remember who’s in control. Let’s let our new normal be our commitment to serve our risen Savior in ALL we do, not just in some of what we feel like doing.

We will find our rhythm again, but, in the meantime, let’s listen to the heart of God recorded through the prophet Jeremiah and multiply where we are and in our current situation.

I expect many of you to be on line with us for services each week at 9:15 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., on Sunday, and again at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesdays ( all different messages). I also expect to see you in person when we get the all-clear to return home. We’ll be on the square in Sparta. We’re real people, living real lives, serving a real God. Welcome home.