From a valley of trouble, through a gateway of hope …

So many people have been speculating about what the coming “new normal” will be like that people were becoming weary of hearing the phrase “new normal.”

But now, here we are, stepping into it.

None of us still don’t know exactly what this “new normal” will turn out to be like, but there will be some differences. From March of 2020 to today, our world has changed in real and various ways. Some things we won’t be able to go back to, other things we shouldn’t go back to, and some things we don’t want to go back to and will make better decisions for the future. And some will choose to go back to ways and things that should be left behind.

In trying to get a grip on what this “new normal” that we are now dipping our toes into will be, there’s a line from the Old Testament book of Hosea that jumped out at me as being a wise and gracious handle for entering into our post-pandemic lives. Take a look at this profound sentence in Hosea 2:15a:

“I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope …”

Life prior to the pandemic may have been wonderful for some, but it wasn’t nearly as “rosy” as we like to think. The church was already in a more serious decline than many were willing to admit. Many couples had drifted so far apart the distance wasn’t fully felt until forced to spend more time together in a pandemic setting, resulting in a wave of conflict. Today, I shared yet another story about yet another study reporting an alarming increase in youth suicide attempts and deaths.

The past year has been a “valley of trouble” for untold numbers of people around the world.

And yet, God is gracious. Perhaps, if we repent of our sins and return to Him, this new normal we’re now stepping into can be transitioning from a valley of trouble through a gateway of hope. Hope for repentant lives, for reconciled marriages and relationships, for spiritual revival, for revitalized churches. Hope for new opportunities to be faithful, obedient children of God.

There’s no question that we’ve been in a “valley of trouble,” but if the “new normal” is God offering us a gateway of hope, just imagine what the immediate future could be, if only we walk through it with Him.

Scotty