What’s normal? I keep hearing the “new normal” on social media, on the news, and I have said it myself. But what if God isn’t in the normal. Look in the Bible. Find me a normal story?! When God wants our attention, things seem to get turned upside. Maybe God is trying to get our attention today.

One example is found in Genesis 11-12. God wanted Egypt’s attention. He tried to wake them up, ten different ways. The water turned into blood. Frogs showed up everywhere (talk about creative…but can you imagine?). Then gnats got into everything and everyone. That didn’t wake Egypt up yet, so the next to come was a plague of flies. I can’t even imagine clouds of flies swarming everywhere and biting on everything. I would hope that seeing all my water bottles turn blood red, frogs showing up in my bed, gnats blinding me, and swarms of flies biting and eating all the fruit (and the maggots…omg)….maybe I would turn to God. You think?! Yes, sign me up for what you want God!

Egypt didn’t though. Instead they continued to complain but would not budge. The livestock died, their food and workforce…died. So no water anywhere, frogs everywhere, bugs biting and flying, and no steak? No cows, chickens, nothing! Then came the sores. That would have been it for me because I do not like to even get a cut, let alone boils all over. There was no remedy, no hope. Did Egypt wake up yet to their new normal?…not yet. Next came fire and hail which destroyed crops and property. Imagine your home severely damaged, all of your crops destroyed, nothing to eat, nothing to drink, bugs, frogs, boils….and now homelessness.

But still they would not turn to God. Then the darkness fell. They didn’t have street lights, so we are taking complete darkness and hopelessness. That was their new normal…but still, they didn’t listen to God.

Then it happened. The worst of it. Losing their first born. I cannot imagine what that would be like knowing that nine times before that, God did everything to get you to budge. Can’t imagine the screams and cries.

Finally the Egyptians woke up. They realized it was God doing everything He could do, to get their attention. Why did it take all that? I don’t know. I’m not God. I wasn’t an Egyptian in the the Old Testament. But what drives me crazy is…that was not enough. The story ended badly for Pharaoh and all of his leaders and army in death. That’s a lot of dads, sons, and husbands…because they would not turn to God.

Today I am turning to God. This “new normal” may last for another month or six months or longer. It’s time we wake up. What is it that God is wanting to wake you up from during this time? What else is it going to take for us to admit we don’t have it all together? Let’s truly surrender and let’s not harden our hearts like pharaoh. Remember it’s not over, because He is in this! He loves us. Let our new normal be a season of coming back to Him.