“When things get back to normal” – That’s one phrase I’ve been hearing frequently over these days. “We need to keep these measures in place so we can get back to normal.” Or “when things get back to normal, we will have a great celebration.” Or “we have to make these adjustments for now until things get back to normal.” I agree with all of these statements.
I’ve also heard a lot about the importance of establishing a new routine. Children need routine to function well. So parents have to figure this out with kids home from school or college. Those working from home need to establish routine so they can be productive in this new setting. Seniors and those with vulnerable immune systems vulnerable need to figure out a new routine with not going out. I also agree with all of this.
But it got me thinking. Many of us may be praying more than usual with extra time. We pray for strength and wisdom to navigate these changes. We pray for protection for others and ourselves. I wonder if our prayers sometimes approach something like this – “God please get us through this so we can get back to a normal routine.”
I’m all for routine. I need a routine if I’m going to preach a message every Sunday. I need a schedule to go through the steps of preparation. God Himself established a routine of 7 day weeks including 1 day of rest.
But in this out of routine time for all of us, we have a great opportunity to go deeper with God. We have an opportunity out of our normal daily, weekly, monthly and annual routine to examine the priority we give God in our lives.
It seems to me, that before all this happened, when life was routine, it was pretty easy to give God the scraps or leftovers in our routines. Maybe we’d give him an hour or two on Sundays. Maybe we’d give 5-10 minutes a day or every other day because we had so many other things to do. When we live like that, it may reveal that we love “things” or “keeping our routine” more than God.
So today and during this time, let’s pause to simply praise God for who He is. Let’s thank Him for His faithfulness. Instead of asking Him to do something, we can thank Him for what He’s already done. The more we give God glory, the more we change – maybe even to the point of loving Him more than our routine.
“Oh God, I know that I am a creature of habit and often thrive with my routine. I know that routines aren’t evil and that you even established a weekly cycle and a year with seasons. But this time has forced me to think a lot. I confess when I have treasured my routine more than you. I confess when I have missed your Spirit’s prompting or blown by that person who needed someone to talk to because I was keeping up my routine. Help me to grow in loving and praising you most so that “interruptions” and response to the Spirit’s prompting become part of my routine.”