As usual

January 2025. Wildfires in Los Angeles. My wife, Pattiejean, and I were in California. The headline that caught my attention declared that just a mile or two from where fires were raging, people were shopping as usual, going to restaurants as normal, and going on with their regular lives. My first thought was about the Bible text that said,

“Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time. . . . They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away. . . .

“. . . So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up” (Matt. 24:37–39).¹

As I thought about Noah’s as usual, I wondered, What is our as usual? The Los Angeles fires reinforced for me the need for urgent action.

Pray earnestly

“Lord, not my house!” People in Los Angeles were praying that their homes would be spared. Others watching were praying that those people’s lives would be spared. Pray for your neighbors. Author Ellen White counsels, “Wherever a church is established, all the members should engage actively in a missionary work. They should visit every family in the neighborhood and know their spiritual condition.”² We attended a California church’s Week of Prayer where all were encouraged to take and display a small yard sign that read, “In need of prayer? Scan the QR code to send us your prayer request.” We took and displayed one. We don’t know what our neighbors are going through. And many don’t want us to know—but some do.

Preach urgently

There’s a place for tact, choosing your words carefully, and waiting for the right moment. But in Los Angeles, people were crying, “Evacuate! It’s not safe. Your house is next. Get out now!” These were not whispers. Our God says,

“Shout! A full-throated shout!
Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives . . . !
They’re busy, busy, busy” (Isa. 58:1, 2).

In Los Angeles, they were not giving sug­gestions. When your house is on fire, you will be forceful and loud. The Bible’s last book says it like this: “I saw another Angel soaring in Middle-Heaven. He had an Eternal Message to preach to all who were still on earth, every nation and tribe, every tongue and people. He preached in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory! His hour of judgment has come!’ ” (Rev. 14:6, 7).

Practice constantly

Our Maryland church was in the middle of a 40-day prayer and fast when ADRA reached out for help for the Los Angeles communities.³ Pattiejean and I sent money immediately, especially since we were practicing the biblical fast. What is the biblical fast?

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice. . . .
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families. . . .
Then when you pray, GOD will answer. . . .
“You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again”
(Isaiah 58:6–12).

It is said that there were identical twins, one a pastor, the other a physician. When asked how people could tell them apart, their parents said, “One preaches, the other practices.” When Christians practice, neighborhoods get rebuilt. When Christians sacrifice, communities get restored. Jesus is our example in all things. He practiced. “Jesus worked to relieve every case of suffering that He saw. He had little money to give, but He often denied Himself of food in order to relieve those who appeared more needy than He.”⁴

As I was reflecting on the people in Noah’s day and those Los Angeles residents going about as usual, I came across Genesis 5:24, “Enoch walked steadily with God. And then one day he was simply gone: God took him.” Then it dawned on me: a steady, daily relationship with God was Enoch’s as usual! So maybe there’s nothing wrong with going about our lives as usual—even if we meet a sudden end. Maybe it just depends on what your as usual is.