The Worst Weather Ever

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay 

Upon waking this morning, I nearly stepped on our 90-pound dog, Charlie.  He usually sleeps on his dog bed, across the bedroom.  But, when it rains (yes, just pure, old rain) or (God forbid) thunders, he gets as close to me as possible, shivering and shaking in fear.  Apparently, during the night, he came to my side of the bed...and when I found him his head was literally under it.  For a moment, I thought he was dead!

Throughout Scripture, we can find some awful geographic and atmospheric phenomena.  Examples:  the Earth opened up and swallowed an entire family (Numbers 26:10); fire and brimstone fell to the Earth and destroyed two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19); plagues of frogs in Egypt ( Exodus 7:25-8:15); the future hordes of "locusts" (Revelation 9, the Fifth Trumpet judgment).
But, the granddaddy of them all had to be the "weather" brought to bear upon the Ark, surely one of the best-built ships ever made: God-designed and God-protected.

The occupants were on the boat for just over a year.  Don't make the mistake of believing all they endured was "hard rain".  No, the Bible tells us that the very springs (fountains) of "the deep" were opened and then later restored.  In this process, there were cataclysmic earthquakes, violently tossing the Ark to and fro.  Historians tell us that, before the Great Flood, what we now know as the seven continents were more joined together into something called Pangaea (or Pangea, whichever spelling you'd prefer).  This was a "supercontinent", comprising most of the land of the whole earth.

Back in 2004, there was a tremendous earthquake in the Indian Ocean, near Indonesia, on Boxing Day, Dec. 26th.1  The resulting tsunami from this powerful quake killed over 100,000 people, in mere moments.  Now, imagine the worldwide earthquakes and tsunamis needed to break the supercontinent into seven, spreading them out around the globe.

Girls and boys, that must have been some boat ride.  It would have made the fiercest carnival attraction look tame.

But, then afterwards, what to do with all that water?  God sent strong, strong winds to dry up the Earth.  Honestly, I am convinced that, had not God supernaturally held them, the occupants of the Ark would have died from abject fear.

We read in Genesis 8:1 that "God remembered".  He remembered the humans and animals on His Ark.  This seems to indicate He had forgotten about them for some time which is, of course, ludicrous.  But, the tenor of this verse is that He cared for them, with lovingkindness, through it all, because He remembered His covenant promises to His people.2  What promise is relevant in this case?
At this time in human history, we have had the Adamic Covenant (Genesis 1:27-28) and the protevangelium, also called the first mention of Messiah.  We find it in Genesis 3:15.  Here, God promised to send a Messiah to redeem fallen man.  Obviously, by Noah's time, no Messiah had appeared.  Therefore, God preserved a remnant family through whose descendants Messiah would eventually come.  Even more relevant, God promised to keep Noah (Noahic Covenant) and his family safe through all the "bad weather" (Genesis 6:17-18).  And, He did, despite the awful ordeal.

There are times in our lives when we believe we are going through the very worst, living as a human can bring.  Our adverse circumstances can cause us to doubt the very existence of a Heavenly Father, much less whether or not He even sees our pain.  In the depths of despair we may give up hope that the Lord will remember His promises to us.  Yet, we must hold fast, because though it seems to us that he is slow to fulfill His Word, He always does and does so at exactly the right time.

9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,^a not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

So ... don't be like Charlie.  When the torrential rains come, look up and remember God's promises to you.  Don't hide your head under the bed or shake with fear.  Trust His promises.  They will never, ever be moved, like the tectonic plates that moved to split the Earth's land into the 7 continents.  Nor will His promises or His care ever be removed from His own beloved.

Sources:

1    https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2004-indian-ocean-tsunami-facts

2    https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/god-remembered-noah/

Repugnant Scorn

In my few, short years of life :) , one thing I have noticed is that a quiet, humble faith usually infuriates the ungodly.

Who are "the ungodly"?  We tend to think of those who do overt evil.  But, the phrase has an even broader definition.  They are those who choose a way that is opposed to God and His one way to eternal life.  In other words, "the ungodly" are people who may live good, upstanding, moral lives, but who are putting their trust for eternal salvation in their own goodness, or in some other false god. Other times, yes, the ungodly are those who practice horrendous evil as well.

Regardless of the degree, all who do not trust Jesus as Savior and demonstrate a living faith, a godly life, are lost in their sins....the ungodly.

Now, back to my original point.  For those who belong to Jesus Christ, their humble yet confident faith is frequently maddening to those who are lost.  Proverbs 4:18-19 (NIV) contrasts these two walks of life quite well.

18The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

19But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

they do not know what makes them stumble.

The one who puts his faith in Jesus begins a life walk down a path which grows ever brighter.   There will be stumbles....unseen roots of sin that spring up along the path.  Though the Christian may even sprawl flat on his face in the dirt occasionally, he never walks alone.  The Savior is always there to pick him up, patch up wounds, dust him off, and set him once again walking down the path of faith. That path grows ever brighter as the relationship with Jesus deepens, as submission to the Savior's will grows.  Eventually, that redeemed one walks in "the full light of day" when he meets his Savior face-to-face and full glory is revealed.

The beautiful walk, the resplendent walk of righteousness produces one of two reactions in the heart of the wicked.  Sometimes, they are so convicted in their deep sin that they are drawn to salvation in Jesus like a moth to a flame.  The Holy Spirit frequently uses the testimony of the true believer to convict and to lead the sinner to repentance and to salvation.

But, even more often, the wicked hate this process.  Seeing it in action is so repugnant to the lost person that he responds in violent anger, determined to destroy the child of God.  This is because the lost dwell in "deep darkness".

And, this is a sad dimension....they don't even recognize their extreme situation.  "They do not know what makes them stumble"!  They are like those characters in the movie "Blair Witch Project", who ran through dark woods, having no idea how to find safety or to escape the hound of Hell who chased them.  And, the wicked have no clue they are in such dire straits!

Blinded by the lies of Satan and the philosophies of the world, they eagerly embrace a rebellious stance toward God and His ways, believing that they have "the right" to do so.  Often, because they serve the god of this world, they experience worldly success, which more firmly entrenches their false beliefs and folly.  It, then, is a grace of God when their little empires come crashing down around their ears, because it can be during those times of trouble that their eyes become opened and they truly see the Savior.  It is a hallelujah when, out of their pit of despair, they finally turn to Him for salvation.

Do you know and love those who have embraced such wickedness as their god?  Christian, pray for your loved ones in this perilous situation.  God states through the apostle Peter, who knew the Savior so well, that God is supernaturally patient with the wicked.  It is not God's will that any of them should perish in Hell.  (I thank Him that He is similarly patient with me, in my many stumbles!)

 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,^a not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

Prayer, and living that quiet life of humble, living faith are your two most potent weapons to win them.  Don't neglect prayer; and, don't be slow to apologize to them for those times when your faith doesn't line up with your actions as you walk the resplendent path to Heaven.

Are you an ungodly person?  Have you chosen the path of wickedness for your life?  If you have not chosen Jesus as your Savior and begun to walk in His way, or if your reaction in reading the words of this blog today has been laughing, scoffing, repugnance or scorn, then I fear you have pitched your tent in the camp of the wicked.  Come of from among them today, before it is too late. Although God's perfect will is that none should go to Hell, He will not violate His character to overrule your free will to choose Hell as your final destination.

I pray you will make the only wise choice, which is to choose Jesus today.