So You Want To Go Back To Normal

/ Cheryl McGrath

Coronavirus.  I doubt there’s a single person reading this it hasn’t impacted.  Many of us are reeling at the extent and speed with which the world around has changed, dramatically, within what seems like a nano-second.  It’s mind boggling, isn’t it!

Everywhere I turn – internet, TV news, social media, family discussion – the question of the hour is  ‘How long before this is over?  When can we all just get back to normal?’

With that in mind the Lord and I started having a discussion about exactly what this ‘normal’ is that we’re all so desperate to get back to.  It turns out that from His perspective normal looks a bit different to what it might be for most of us.  Actually, it turns out He’s looking at this whole coronavirus thing from a Kingdom perspective.  Surprised?  Shouldn’t be.

So, this is what the ‘land of normal’ looked like before we all entered this strange and unfamiliar abnormal territory that has brought us to a screeching halt:

*Christ-followers in many nations are being persecuted more than any other time in world history. By persecution I mean oppression, torture, prison, death.

*The Name of Christ is blasphemed, mocked, derided and ridiculed across the world, especially in so called sophisticated Western nations where self is king and science is God;

*Evil is called good and good called evil.  Truth is not absolute but is a matter for individual reflection and decision, therefore your truth is different to my truth and that’s all OK.

*Church attendance in western nations is decreasing faster than you can say ‘pass the offering plate’ as multitudes find Sunday services irrelevant and powerless.

*The Body of Christ is beset by rolling scandals and church splits as leaders continue to be found wanting in financial accountability, sexual morality and Christ-like humility.

*Historic sexual abuse of children within some sections of the Christian community continues to be exposed.

*In a large sector of the church political lobbying and ensuring the ’right’ candidate gets elected takes precedence over taking up our Cross to follow Christ;

*Huge amounts of money are spent on church extensions, buildings and auditoriums for the ’faithful’ while the numbers of homeless sleeping in streets and alleyways spirals out of control.

*Wars, rumours of war, and terrorism plague the planet while politicians and leaders endlessly debate and disagree but fail to come to lasting solutions.

*Unborn babies are disposed of in untold numbers due to their inconvenient timing.

*Governments routinely deceive and mislead their people for the ‘national good’.

*The oppression of women and children, human trafficking, racial discrimination, injustice towards the disabled and the poor continues to plague humanity while comfortable sections of the institutional church turn a blind eye and remain silent.

O-h-k-a-y then.  Had enough? Like it or not, this is just some of the ’normal’ that existed before the virus came to light and that so many are now craving.

There was a time the Israelites wanted to go back to normal too.  For them, journeying in what seemed an endless wilderness, having to rely totally on God for their next meal, their safety and their arrival at a new promised destination, was completely abnormal.  What was normal was slavery in Egypt, where they ‘sat by pots of meat, and ate bread to the full’ ( Ex.16:1-3, Ex 17:3).

Forget about the cruel oppression of the Egyptians, forget about the false Egyptian gods and abhorrent sacrifices, forget that they laboured and died as slaves dominated by hard and cruel taskmasters – compared to this frightening new wilderness Egypt, looking back, was looking pretty good!

The choice for us as Christ followers is not between Egypt and the wilderness – not literally anyway.  The choice is between the Kingdom of God and Babylon (the world’s systems).  My spiritual antenna are telling me that things will, to some degree at least, return to that land of ‘normal’ at some time in the future, whether that be within weeks or months.  I am personally not of the opinion this virus emergency is the end of the world, though it surely is another major step towards it and will most probably permanently change things for a great many people.

The question is this: when things do return to what is considered ’normal’ in this world, will we as Christ followers sigh with relief, take off running with our worldly citizenship in hand and continue business as usual, aka ‘normal life’?  Or will we grab with both hands the opportunity God is handing us right now to reconsider our options and pursue more fully a different kind of ‘normal’, one where our citizenship is in the Kingdom, not the world; one where our loyalty is to Kingdom, not worldly, values; one where following Christ will become increasingly uncomfortable and  costly, but something to which we are committed because we consider, above all, that the Lamb is worthy?

If there is just one thing we need to do in these extraordinary days it is to settle this question within ourselves, and not look back.  Is He worthy of my total, unconditional commitment, with whatever changes in my life that may necessitate or bring?  Or isn’t He?

And how shall we pray in these days of shutdowns, fear, isolation and economic chaos?  Again, our God who even brings good from evil, has provided an opportunity for the Bride of Christ to change the world (but you most likely won’t hear about it on the six-p.m. news).

I am praying that during this extraordinary time when people are seeking lasting answers, doors will open for the sharing of the gospel through wisdom-based evangelism, yes, but also through acts of love that show the heart of Christ.  Pray for opportunities to pray with people, to minister to them through simple acts of kindness and support.  Pray for worldly mindsets based on deception and lies about who Christ is to come crashing down.  Pray for miracles, signs and wonders that glorify God and reveal Christ to peoples’ hearts.  Ask God what your role is. As much as possible, respect the rules and guidelines being put in place by local authorities and trust the Holy Spirit to lead and provide you with opportunities to counter the world’s fear and be a source of comfort and blessing to ordinary people.

So. Still want to go back to normal?  Then let that be your prayer.

Or there’s this: ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven’. And if this be our prayer, let His Kingdom first come fully in us.

The choice is ours.

© Cheryl McGrath, Bread for the Bride, 2020 and beyond. Copyright Notice: Permission is granted to freely reproduce any Bread for the Bride articles in emails or internet blogs, unaltered, and providing this copyright notice is included.  To permanently display an article on any static website please contact me for permission.

26 thoughts on “So You Want To Go Back To Normal”

  2. Pingback: So You Want To Go Back To Normal? | Onesimus Files

  3. Hi Cheryl,
    I woke this morning with the phrase “Removing the glory of the ‘shepherd’, replacing it with the glory of God”.

    I suspect this has something to do with the closing down of churches and the enforced isolation.
    It’s a time to be spent in the word and in prayer – strengthening our relationship with God with the help of the Holy Spirit, breaking dependence on so many ‘shepherds’ who keep their flock dependent on them instead of leading them to maturity.

    It’s time to recognise HIS voice above all other voices.

    Hebrews 5: 11-14

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    • Yes, the closing down of churches, their buildings and regular services is something that may well come out of all this. Or perhaps people will realise they can commune with Jesus without all the church trappings. I don’t know. But how I would love to see some church facilities, buildings, auditoriums etc., turned into facilities for the homeless and the lonely. I don’t know if this has happened in Australia, but a friend in the U.S. was telling me some pastors in the USA are refusing to close their services and still holding them with 300 people and more. I have difficulty seeing Christ in that attitude.

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      • Cheryl, I have seen on the news from the U.S. that some churches continue to have services in spite of what the health officials and government are saying. I agree with you, how is Christ in that? Are we not to obey the the government as long as it doesn’t go against scripture? How is this a good witness to the world? Again, this continues to show me that there is a vast difference between being a believer and those who are part of His Bride.

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      • Perhaps those pastors have reasons for continuing services that they can find a scripture for. We can find a scripture for just about anything to back up our words and actions. Once upon a time scripture was even used to condone slavery, and is still being used to condone the subordination of women. So I have no doubt that in their own minds they believe they are doing the right thing. But it’s the Word and the Spirit of Holiness together that we need to obey. The Word is truth, and the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Truth, will lead us into ALL truth (not just the letter of law). The Bride is learning to walk in the balance of both Spirit and Word. It is the Spirit that gives life to the Word and causes the Word to actually live within us.

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  4. I am glad you referenced Israel’s slavery in Egypt. I can’t help but pray for those who have been told to isolate for two, three four weeks, that we will see a silver lining to this historical event and see that we are in fact slaves to ‘a system’ madly running on our hamster wheels trying to be super productive yet without questioning the true value of our work – if it even has long term positive outcomes. I pray for rest and restoration for families – for reconnecting – for redetermining their priorities hopefully concluding relationship with their families, not the pursuit of money or what money can buy is a worthier goal. We have been offered a time to reflect, heal and seek relationship with our loving Father, perhaps the words of Isaiah will ring true…
    “In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength, – unfortunately most of that chapter talks of how they didn’t trust God, and how they looked to Egypt, but maybe, just maybe we will not go back to ‘normal’
    Thanks for your post Cheryl.

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    • I’m afraid very few of the Lord’s people make that connection you make, i.e. slavery to the Babylonian system of the world. My personal sense is that in the long term this is more about world economies than disease and will help pave the way for the man of sin. I totally resonate with your prayer for rest and restoration. What man or satan means for evil God can always bring good from. Stay safe there in beautiful New Zealand!

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  5. Cheryl,
    I wrote a book titled Mystery Bride and Mystery Babylon on this subject. The church does not seem to see that Babylon is within. Or in other terms the true bride and the false exist together in the church. We must pray for the church to repent for the nation to be healed. We are in trouble as a nation because the Church does not repent. God help us hear His voice.

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    • Hi Debra, I am not sure which nation you are referring to? I am based in Australia and these blog posts go out to people in several different nations. I agree we all, as a holy nation belonging to God, need to hear His voice in these troubled times.

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  6. “If there is just one thing we need to do in these extraordinary days it is to settle this question within ourselves, and not look back. Is He worthy of my total, unconditional commitment, with whatever changes in my life that may necessitate or bring?”

    You captured the question, the moment, the issue. Well done! Let our answer be, He is Worthy…

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  7. Cheryl, Thank you for this article. You ask a very searching question: Is the Lamb worthy of my total unconditional commitment whatever changes comes into my life? That question is not one we, I, can quickly read and not ponder. When there is a dedication of a stature, everyone knows there is a stature underneath the sheet, but only when the sheet is pulled away is the stature unveiled for all to see what it looks like. So too, maybe during these very uncertain times, we are beginning to get a fuller view of the Lamb as the One Who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is exercising His authority in the world and it is obvious our lives may not be the same. Will we accept His authority and what He is doing or want Him on our terms, want things as they have always been, especially in the church? The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is roaring and His voice is shaking the nations, because His unshakable Kingdom is coming. Speaking for myself, it’s time to settle the question you have asked, is the Lamb worthy? Thank you for this article and this heart searching question.

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    • I really like your response, Steve. Reminds me of the 18th century Moravians and their motto of the Lamb being worthy. What a testimony they were, all over the world, even selling themselves into slavery so they could gossip the good news wherever the Lord sent them.

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  9. Amen…sister…I have never thought this way…as I have been committed..long time..But as a brother said the other day…It is a foreshadow..of things to come…to me ‘the beginning of sorrows’..and just a hint of what the true tribulation will look like!..I have been always ready to be offered up as a drink offering..in these days..

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  10. Excellent. I am reminded of the old parody-type song by Keith Green, “So You Want to Go Back to Egypt?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qokgHJeUqTg Looking back, we wonder how could the Israelites want to go back to THAT normal? But here we are now, walking in a new place of faith and trust, (hopefully) and faced with the same temptation to seek old security and normalcy at the expense of what new thing God wants to do.

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