WHAT DOES NORMAL LOOK LIKE? (Psalm 144)

What does normal look like? That is a good question in our world today. By whose standard and what measurement do we determine normal?

Psalm 144 consists of 15 beautiful verses, the first of which concentrate on who God is in relation to man. In fact, verse 3 is one of the better-known verses in the entire Bible on this subject: “Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!”

The idea is that God is so big, and we are so small; He is so great, and we are so needy. That is the way the psalm begins. But when you get down to verse 7 and continue to the end, there is a real shift in the point of application.

Verse 7: “Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children.”

Notice that one phrase is repeated in verse 11: “Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.”

What is the point of this expression “strange children”? Does it mean that they look weird? Not necessarily. In Scripture, the word “strange” refers to something that is different than what God intended.

For example, in Proverbs we see multiple mentions of the “strange woman.” That does not mean she looks odd; it means she does not belong to me.

Scripture also talks about “strange flesh.” That is defined simply as something I am not supposed to have. God did not choose it for me. In our world, there are times when sin will look much different, but there are other times when it will look normal on the surface and be much different underneath than what God intended. It is less about the appearance and more about the heart.

That brings us back to the “strange children” in Psalm 144. It refers to a generation of young people who have grown up but have not done it God’s way.

Psalm 144 is the psalm of a nation in great need. While we are on the subject, I would remind you that our own nation is also in great need. The psalmist used the singular in the first 11 verses but then moved to the plural in the closing verses. I really believe he had a heart for his nation and its people.

The key to any nation is a generation. If a nation is going to continue to be what it ought to be and look like what it ought to look like, then the children will have to grow up the right way — God’s way. They cannot be “strange children.”

Verse 12: “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.”

Do you see the contrast here between the “strange children” and God’s children? Friend, God’s children should be different because they are growing up God’s way.

Vance Havner used to say: “We’ve become so subnormal that if we ever became normal, we would appear abnormal.”

You see, our measurement must not be the world system, our present society, the culture around us or the media. Instead, we must ask, “What does God say is normal? What does God say is strange?”

In the closing verses of Psalm 144 we see a description of what normal should look like — what our sons and daughters should grow up believing and how they should behave. I believe it gives all of a good goal for our lives and our homes.

Maturity

Look again at the beginning of verse 12: “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth.” As far as I can tell, the only way to be grown up in your youth is spiritually, because you are still growing physically and emotionally. It is maturity.

The Psalmist used the object lesson of a plant. What do we know about plants? They are to be rooted, growing and fruitful. The idea here is of a plant that is not dwarfed, growing crooked or choked by weeds or thorns. Instead, it has been pruned and worked on so it is maturing. Are we maturing like we should be, and are we helping our young people do the same?

This is a picture of strength. Psalm 144 is one of David’s warrior psalms starting with these words in verse 1: “Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” Those words were reportedly engraved on swords that were given to knights in the 12th century.

If we are going to have some maturity today, we will have to fight for it. It is a battle against the culture of our day and what everyone else thinks is right.

Beauty

“That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.”

This is actually a picture of strength combined with beauty. There is nothing stronger than a cornerstone. In those days they were placed at an angle where two walls met, and they were placed on top of the wall. It was strong. But this one was also ornamented, polished, and beautiful. It attracted attention, but for the right reasons. Isn’t that what we want for our daughters, that they get attention not for some kind of sensual beauty but for the beauty of God?

In the New Testament, the cornerstone is one of the pictures of Jesus Christ. The Lord wants us to have His beauty in our lives. There is a difference between attraction and true beauty.

I will also point out that plants have to be pruned and cornerstones have to be polished. So we have to work to make sure the maturity and beauty of the Lord shines through in our lives.

Prosperity

Verses 13-14. “That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.”

The prosperity God wants us to have is not just material and financial. This is a reference to the blessing of the Lord. According to Prov. 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

Real prosperity is more than stuff. It is God’s provision. It is about recognizing that God is meeting our every need, and finding joy in that.

The real result of prosperity is found in the end of verse 14: “no complaining.” Wouldn’t it be great to live in a home and attend a church where there is no complaining? That will only happen when God is in His rightful place and we are becoming the people He intended for us to be.

Happy

God wants His people to be happy, verse 15 shows us. “Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.” The truly happy people are those who have discovered the joy found in Christ alone.

I would submit that this is what normal looks like — maturity, beauty, prosperity, happy. That is God’s normal. But you do not get all of those blessings unless you allow the Lord to make you the person that He created you to become.

Take Psalm 144 and read it with you family today. Talk to your children and grandchildren about what normal looks like. By the grace of God and with the help of the Holy Spirit, let’s begin to measure our lives not by this world’s standard, but by what the Lord says is normal.