“And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight.”
The words keep running through my head. Each time they do, I’m reminded this world is just a brief stop on the way to eternity.
As the world continues to spiral toward profound ungodliness – and its ultimate demise – I continue watching for Christ’s return with anticipation. Things will get ugly toward the end. According to Christ’s words to His disciples about the “end of the age,” we’re just beginning to feel the birth pangs.
Natural disasters are escalating. War is raging in the Middle East, and there’s talk of growing conflict throughout the world. More and more false teachers are popping up and people are blindly following them. Heresy is even becoming widespread, even within the church. And as the church is declining, worldwide persecution is escalating.
Sometimes it makes me fearful. Not so much for me – my life is already more than half over – but for my children and grandchildren. What will their world be like? Will they continue growing in their faith and endure to the end? Will they still be “running the race with endurance” when Christ either calls them home or returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
When my questions and concerns disturb the peace that passes all understanding, God reminds me I have nothing to worry about. God has everything under His sovereign control. He is accomplishing the purposes on earth that were laid out in the heavens before time began. He loves my children and grandchildren far more than I ever could, and He appointed their days before even one of them came to pass, too.
So, I pray. I pray those who outlive me will continue pursuing God, even when they face opposition from a wicked world. I pray they’ll be able to discern God’s truths from false teachings. I pray they will know the peace of God that passes all understanding even when chaos breaks out around them.
The words of this great hymn offer us strength to face today’s trials and hope for our final delivery from them. When I consider what lies ahead, who is waiting for me (for all who love Him), I can carry on even though I’m tired and long for Christ’s return. It is well with my soul because my God is sovereign over all. It is well with my soul because I can trust God to strengthen me for whatever comes my way. It is well with my soul because my life will soon dissipate like a vapor, these light momentary trials will end, and I will stand face to face with my Savior.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.” -Hebrews 6:19-20a
Our little farm is overrun with critters – cute, but destructive, critters.
It started with one or two rabbits that are now eight to ten rabbits. It’s impossible to keep a garden! They eat everything as quickly as it shoots up.
Then there was a ground hog. She blessed us with three babies who liked the neighborhood enough to stick round. Now there are four or five ground hogs in our yard. They have expanded their tunneling efforts from under the barn to under the granary and the machine shed. Plus, I just discovered a new tunnel in the hill outside our house.
Cute or not the critters have to go before they destroy what’s valuable to us – our property.
I love to have fun – to a fault. I have a couple of pass-times that are much like those critters. They started out small and innocent enough. Ways to entertain myself at the end of a busy day. But they have grown into destructive forces in my life. They eat away precious time. I find myself neglecting to
“Redeem the time because the days are evil…” (Ephesians 5:16)
They are now burrowing in during the day. The snippets of time I used to spend in prayer and thoughtful contemplation, I now fill with fun. They distract my mind from eternal things. They compete for pre-eminence in my life. Bottom line? They burrow into my spiritual foundations and undermine what is most valuable to me: my first love.
“But I hold this one thing against you, you have lost your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)
Maybe wasting time isn’t a sinkhole for you, like it is for me. Maybe you get caught up in the pursuit of wealth or possessions. Gaining a fortune and enjoying the fruits of your labor are not inherently bad things (Abraham, for example, was a very godly, very wealthy man) if the Lord still holds first place in your heart.
Do not lay up your treasures on earth…” (Matthew 6:19-20)
Perhaps you seek a certain level of fame or notoriety – as an influencer on social media or a somebody in your own community or sphere of influence. Again, those are not necessarily bad things. But who you are in Christ must remain more valuable than who you are in the eyes of the world.
“Thou and thou only first in my heart…”
The writer of this very old hymn had an undivided heart, with one desire, and one desire only – for God to be forever and always first in everything. Fun, fortune and fame all took second place to her true inheritance in Christ. Her longing to let nothing distract her, pull her away from the High King of Heaven is clear in her desperate plea to God:
Be Thou my vision!
This lovely, ancient hymn touches a place deep inside me. Sometimes I think it’s the tune drawing out my Celtic roots, or the passionate lyrics resonating with my inner writer. Mostly, I believe it expresses the plea of my own, often distracted and divided heart better than I ever could:
“Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision of Ruler of all!”
I remember liking this hymn as a child. Part of it was the lilting tune. Mostly, it was the sense of security and confidence it instilled in me. There were, and still are, many things I don’t understand about my faith.
While we walk with God through our days here on earth, there are spiritual unknowns. As 1 Corinthians 13:9 says, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part…” Our minds, limited by time and space and our frail human frames, cannot fully comprehend why our holy God even cares about us, or how Christ’s righteousness is imputed to our sinful selves.
Like the hymnwriter, we don’t fully understand how the Holy Spirit works. We know that He leads us, intercedes for us, and convicts us – but how? How to we come to recognize that still small voice? Without dangling our toes too deeply into the predestination vs. free will debate, why are some compelled to follow Christ, while others turn their backs on Him? What is God’s role and what is our role in becoming conformed to the image of His Son? (Romans 8:29)
We can’t know what the future holds. God ordained all our days before any of them came to pass (Psalm 139:16) but we aren’t privy to how they will play out; whether our lives will be filled with extraordinary joy, devasting sorrow or our expected share of ups and downs.
And the greatest unknown of all is when Christ will return in great power and glory, revealing Himself to the world as the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Perhaps it will be in our generation. Perhaps many more generations will eagerly await His return.
“… but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.” (! Corinthians 13:10). However, the day is coming when we will leave this world behind and join Christ in heaven, where we will be perfected. Then, we’ll be able to see everything clearly. It will all make sense. All our questions will be answered.
After recounting all the things he doesn’t know, D.W. Whittle (the writer) uses the chorus to affirm what he does know:
“But ‘I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him, against that day.’”
Other than the “but,” this hymn chorus is an exact quote of 2 Timothy 1:12, taken from the King James Version. It is a statement of confident expectation. If we have put our faith in Christ alone for our salvation, we can say with certainty we know who we believe. We know what God has already done for us – bringing us into His family when we were undeserving and calling us to live to His glory.
We have a confident expectation that God is storing up all those things we’ve done to His glory for the day we meet Him in eternity. No sacrifice we’ve made has escaped His notice. No tear we’ve shed has been lost. No service we’ve rendered with the right motives will be unrewarded. When our focus is on “glorifying God and enjoying Him forever” we store up treasures in heaven.
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)
Have you ever pondered why the hymnwriter paired trust and obey together? How, exactly, are trusting in God and being obedient to Him connected?
When I was in college, a very long time ago, I went to a concert put on by the African Children’s Choir, free of charge. They were amazing! It was all I could do not to sway and clap along with them as they praised God – something I would have done if audience participation had been encouraged.
The freewill offering buckets were passed during intermission to support the choir’s ministry. I had $10 in my wallet, the only money I had to my name at the time. I had nothing in savings, no secret stash under my mattress, not even a change jar I could raid.
“Put that money in the offering.” The prompting of the Holy Spirit was almost audible inside my head. An internal “discussion” (aka argument) ensued.
“But Lord, I’ll be broke, and payday is still a week away.”
“Put the money in the offering.” The ushers were making their way toward my seat in the back.
“Father, I have to have some money to live on.”
“All you have to give is that $10 bill, and I want you to give it all. Trust Me.”
As the bucket made its way down my aisle, I reluctantly surrendered to God and gave Him everything I had. God was testing me, to see whether I really did trust Him enough to obey even when it was hard, even when I couldn’t see what the outcome would be. It was an act of both trusting and obeying.
I’d like to say I’ve won the victory, and chosen obedience, every time my faith has been tested. Even though God proved Himself faithful by sending an unexpected refund in the mail the following Monday, and even though He’s proven Himself trustworthy innumerable times since that day, I’m still prone to distrust and disobedience.
Perhaps you’ve learned, as I have, it’s easier to obey God when we trust Him to take care of us. Philippians 4:19 promises:
“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
We find it difficult to obey God if we don’t trust He’ll provide our needs.
It’s also hard to take a stand for Him in this anti-Christian culture if we don’t believe His assurances in Isaiah 55:11:
“So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”
And we struggle to set our own agenda to follow God’s lead if we aren’t confident we’re glorifying God and investing in eternity. But we can count on this promise in Galatians 6:9:
“Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.”
So, let’s not lose heart. Let’s run the race set before us – trusting in our faithful Father who never breaks His word and obeying our Lord and King who is worthy of our undying allegiance.
But we never can prove, the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay;For the favor He shows and delight He bestows are for them who will trust and obey.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but the chaos of these past two years has left me with some daunting uncertainties about what the future holds. Of course, we can never know what the future holds. But we usually have some idea of how it will be. For me, it was traveling after retirement, financial security, and living in a nation that looked much like the nation of my childhood.
All the changes, all the disappointments, all the swirling controversies – both here in the United States and worldwide – have left me unsettled. It’s been a real struggle! I went through my Jacob phase, wrestling with God. I went through my Jonah phase, pouting in the wilderness while God patiently extended his grace just a little longer. Now I’m in trying to settle into my Paul phase, finding contentment in every circumstance. I’m learning to surrender my plans to God’s plans.
Sometimes the “fright or flight” instinct still rears its ugly head. I have no reason to live in fear because I have a Savior who loves me perfectly.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)
So, I think about running. But where would I run to? Another state? Another country? A desolate island? There’s nowhere to flee from the realities of this broken world. There’s no way to escape, unless God chooses to take me to my eternal home.
Until then, the only safe place to fly is straight into the arms of Jesus.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. (Psalm 62:8)
No government or political leader can be counted on for refuge. Neighbors who once sat together on the front porch sipping iced tea have taken to turning each other in for Covid-19 mandate infractions. There are violent clashes between groups with opposing ideologies. Even churches and families are badly fractured.
Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.
(Psalm 146:3-5)
Christ is our only hope; not people, not money, not possessions. That’s always been true. Perhaps recent events have just made the truth more pronounced. Living for the things of this world is pointless. That’s always been true, too. Perhaps recent events have just made this truth more pronounced, as well.
If we put our faith in Christ, relying on the sin sacrifice He made on our behalf when He died on the cross (and the forgiveness the sacrifice procures when we repent before our most Holy God) we have an eternal hope and eternal glory to live for. Sometimes I find myself more consumed with how I’m going to get through this mess unscathed than on storing up heavenly treasures.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21)
When that happens, when my focus shifts from the eternal to the earthly, God reminds me it’s time to run to Him for refuge. It’s time to hide in the shadow of His wings. It’s time run for me to rest in His unfailing care. He wants you to flee to refuge in Him, too. Trust Him with your whole heart. Even when you face difficult times, you won’t be disappointed.
Trust in the Lord, O troubled soul, rest in the arms of His care.
Whatever thy lot, it mattereth not, for nothing can trouble thee there.
Trust in the Lord, O troubled soul, nothing can trouble thee there.
Today, as snow-pregnant clouds begin obscuring the sun’s rays, I
watch the world outside my window lose its warm glow. Standing in stark gray
contrast to its snowy white backdrop, is our little orchard.
Last spring, I asked a friend to come over and give our fruit
trees a long-overdue pruning. She carefully considered which branches should
go, and which should stay. She thinned out the unhealthy branches, the branches
that kept air flowing freely through the trees, and the branches that crowded
or crossed other, more crucial branches.
But the pear tree was different. After trimming away the obvious,
my friend stopped. In the middle of this tree, two large branches grew together
in tight quarters. In fact, one branch rested securely in the fork of the
other.
I study those two branches for a moment. They’re so solidly
entwined, neither could go without them both suffering. Cut the forked branch,
and its neighbor would be weakened. Cut the branch without the fork, and the
forked branch would have open wounds (where the branches rub together in the
breeze), leaving it vulnerable to disease.
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance
for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Once we are part of God’s family, our lives become entwined. We
need each other for support, and to protect each other from vulnerability. We
are stronger together. That’s why God calls us to live out our walks with God
within the context of a church community.
The physical, spiritual and emotional turmoil we endure is felt by
those who walk with us through difficult days.
The joys and triumphs we enjoy, bring joy to those around us. We
weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. (Romans 12:15)
Like the pear tree’s branches, we’re entwined in one another’s
lives — to God’s glory.
Today we tromp through powdery snow, searching the Christmas tree
farm for the perfect evergreen to put in our house. We find one that’s not too
tall, or too plump, or too scruffy looking. We settle on a beautiful balsam fir
with sturdy branches that will hold our heavier glass ornaments
My husband lays on the ground, saw in hand, ready to begin
cutting.
“You’re sure, now? This is the tree you want? Because once I start
cutting we’re committed.”
“Yes, we’re sure.” The conviction in our voices frees my husband
to put the blade to the tree trunk and begin.
It doesn’t take long for him to saw through the trunk. The tree
topples over, sending up a spray of soft snow. We grab the branches and begin
dragging it to our car. It will look beautiful sitting in the corner of our living
room, decked out with bright lights, and shining glass ornaments, and topped
with an angel. For a time.
I’ll prop this Christmas tree up in a stand and keep it watered.
But no matter how well I care for it, the tree will slowly die. The needles
will dry up and fall off, one by one. By spring it will be brown, rather than
green. Now that it’s forever severed from its life-giving trunk, the tree will die.
And there’s no way to reunite tree and trunk, no way the tree can be
revitalized.
We are born severed from God, fallen Christmas trees cut off from
our life-giving trunk. It’s the sinful nature in us that keeps us from being
nurtured. Unlike the Christmas tree, however, we don’t have to remain cut off
from our Trunk; our Creator and Savior. We can be reunited, restored and
revitalized.
That was the whole point of one tiny baby’s birth, a birth still
remembered and celebrated 2000 years later. Christ humbled Himself and came to
earth as a baby. He walked the earth as a child, died as a young man, and rose
as a Savior – all so we could have an opportunity to find true life in His
sacrifice for our sins.
When we humble ourselves and seek God’s forgiveness for our
rebellion against His Word, His will, and His purposes, He heals the severing
wound. As we seek Him earnestly, like the three Wise Men following the star, He
nourishes us. As long as we abide in the vine, we will never dry up, never be
unfruitful, and never be separated from our life source again.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in
him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” –
John 15:5
Today,
after the fog lifts, heavy dew covers every living, and non-living thing. An
orb-weavers web, woven in perfect symmetry, is be-jeweled with dewdrops, each a
tiny prism glinting in the rising sun. Each pine needle threatens to shed a
tiny tear. Each blade of grass is damp. Dew pools and trickles down the
granary’s metal roof. It sounds like a
slow rain dripping into the puddles below.
Before the big flood, this was God’s preferred method of watering the earth. It must have been quite a conundrum for Noah. He was supposed to build an ark to prepare for a flood which would result from rain, which had never happened before. By faith, he spent 100+ years building the gargantuan cargo carrier, believing God was serious about sending this mysterious thing called rain.
All
the while he worked, he was ridiculed by the very people he was trying to
convince to come into the ark with him. Talk about tenacity! I have a hard time
sticking with a project for several weeks. And ridicule makes me want to curl
up in a ball and cry. In the infamous words of George McFly, “I’m not sure I
could handle that kind of rejection.” (Back
to the Future) I’m glad God, the animals and humankind weren’t counting on
me to save the day. The story might have ended much differently.
I
think the same thing when I watch the movie Amazing
Grace. William Wilburforce spent most of his adult life fighting for the abolition
of slavery in Great Britain. It cost him his health, which he willingly
sacrificed to fulfill his God-ordained task. He died just three days after he’d
won the battle. But what if he’d grown weary and quit fighting? Or what if he’d
refused to take on the battle in the first place?
What if
Abraham hadn’t been willing to sacrifice Isaac? What if Joseph hadn’t been faithful
through trials? What if Moses hadn’t returned to Egypt to lead the Israelites
out? What if Joshua and Caleb hadn’t believed they could take the land of
Canaan? What if David hadn’t taken on Goliath? What if Joseph had decided
against taking Mary and Jesus to Egypt for safety? What if Jesus hadn’t died on
the cross?
In
each plot climax, the protagonist had a choice to make. Will I obey God or will
I disobey? As the storyline unfolds, it’s clear their obedience brought God’s
favor not only on them, but on those near them, and sometimes on generations to
come. Had any of them chosen disobedience, the story would read like a
Shakespearean tragedy.
Joshua
issued a challenge to the Israelite people as they entered Canaan. “If it is
disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom
you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, or
the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
The
challenge is ours, as well. If we chose to serve the Lord, it’s not long before
we realize it isn’t always an easy choice. Sometimes the tasks God assigns us
seem overwhelming or impossible. We want to shrink away. But obeying and
persevering are vital. Our choices may not change the course of history, but they’ll
undoubtedly change the courses of our lives.
Obedience
invites God’s blessings; on ourselves, our households, and even future generations.
Disobedience can inadvertently turn an action adventure into a tragedy. But even
then God shows His mercy. He rewrites our
tragic stories with happy endings.
Today’s blog is a departure from my usual theme; looking at the astounding ways our Creator reveals Himself through His creation.
Fair warning: I’m unabashedly editorializing here, voicing a passionate opinion you are welcome to disagree with. All I ask is that you give it sincere consideration.
I might get preachy. I know that’s unkosher in the Christian publishing world these days, but God’s okay with it. To quote Paul (inspired by God), “How will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)
This is a message for the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, especially those of us who are part of fairly large, contemporary churches. I want to be heard, so I’m not couching my words.
When we were kids, church was decidedly church. The
sanctuary was a sacred place, a place that warranted reverence. People arrived
early and sat quietly, prayerfully preparing for worship. It was a special
place to meet with God.
We sang hymns, without amplifiers. Everyone sang, because “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1) trumped professionalism. It was corporate worship.
The whole counsel of God’s word was preached. We heard the parts that were pleasant: about God’s love and grace and mercy. We heard the parts that were unpleasant: about God’s judgment and wrath and fearsomeness. We knew following God required repentance, holy living, and sometimes suffering, not just enjoying the perks of Christ’s shed blood.
Far more importantly, our parents lived out a
sincere faith at home. They practiced what they preached. They sacrificed
material goods to teach us God is worthy of His portion. They sacrificed time
to teach us to serve others. Sometimes they sacrificed their own happiness to
teach us the importance of keeping a vow – and that God always keeps His. If
they didn’t live their faith out, we didn’t take it seriously. We walked away
from church when we left home, at least for a time.
Anyway, at some point we decided the way our parents “did church” wasn’t very appealing to us, or to outsiders. So, we started to “do church” differently, to make it more appealing.
Some good came from it, no doubt. But somewhere along the line we forgot Jesus is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” (1 Peter 2:8) The pendulum swung to the other extreme. Many of our evangelical churches are now more like entertainment venues than places of worship.
We chat in the in-house coffee shop until service has started, showing up late with coffee and donut in hand. We congregate in an auditorium, not a sanctuary, and the amplified music, performed by semi-professional musicians, drowns out the congregation’s corporate voice. There’s no sense that we’ve come to a sacred place expecting to meet with God.
We hear the nice parts of God’s Word. The hard parts are, more often than not, glossed over. The gospel is presented without a call to repentance, without a warning to count the cost. And there’s no mention of hell. While I don’t advocate scaring people into the sheepfold, I do think we should warn them about the forever torment waiting for those who reject God. Jesus did. Isn’t it rather cruel not to?
At this point we have to ask ourselves the most important question. Do we live out a sincere faith at home? Do we lead by example? Do we sacrifice material goods so God receives what He’s due? Do we sacrifice our time to serve others? Are we willing to give up our personal happiness to keep the vows we make, and so demonstrate God’s faithfulness? If not, our children won’t take this faith we claim seriously. They’ll walk away as soon as they have an opportunity, at least for a time.
Anyway, most people in our generation are content with the way we “do church.” The generations coming up behind us are not.
They aren’t looking for another entertainment venue. They want church to be church. They want worship to be worship. They want tradition and traditional music. They’re looking for truth, the whole truth. They want to be where God is reverenced. The pendulum is swinging once again.
The problem is, we aren’t paying attention. We’re
forging ahead under the misguided notion we’re giving them what they want and
need. We think we’re being relevant. Sadly, we are not. So, they’re leaving us
to get their spiritual needs met elsewhere.
Some leave church altogether. Some land in
traditional churches that have sound teaching. Some find themselves in
traditional churches that are not “correctly handling the word of truth.” (2
Timothy 2:15, NIV) We can only pray they have the discernment to know the
difference.
How do I know? We have four adult children. One walked away from church altogether, at least for the time being. Two are attending traditional churches that are very unlike the church they grew up in. The youngest is 19. We’re still waiting to see what choices she’ll make when she leaves home.
And, research bears it out. If you do a little digging online, you’ll find our family represents a nationwide trend.
So, what can we do?
There’s a simple way to address the problem. Swing with the pendulum back toward the middle. We don’t have to force our young adults to look elsewhere for a traditional church experience. We can offer it to them right where they are.
But are we willing to change? Are we, the older generation, willing to sacrifice our Sunday morning worship preferences for the spiritual well-being of those coming behind us? Will we adapt, or will they be forced to foist changes on us the way we did on our parents?
The changes younger believers seek to meet their spiritual
needs are good changes. They’re healthy for the church.
We would all benefit from more reverence, from preparing for worship, from singing more hymns that are rich in theological content. We would all benefit from deeper teaching, a better understanding of who God is in all His glory, and a solid grip on the basic tenants of the faith.
If we’ll follow their lead, the ones coming behind us have the potential to help us find a healthy spiritual balance between the undo legalism of the past and the undo liberty of the present. They could very well bring us back to the “chief end of man” and core purpose of the church, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism)
Today a blanket of gray-blue clouds slowly rolls east while the sun sinks on the western horizon. Diffused sunlight, my friend calls it “God light,” pierces through the gray rain curtain and is diffused once again. We drive toward the rain, heading home from a long day, and watch the intermingling water and light paint a double rainbow in the evening sky. It begins as only a partial arch, but gradually grows into a complete rainbow, a celestial overpass spanning the highway ahead.
As
we race ever closer to the rainbow, we begin to clearly see one end of it
casting its multi-colored light on the golden wheat fields and summer-green
forests. What looked like plain, old yellow-hued sunlight just moments ago is
now a full-color display.
I
wonder how Noah reacted when he saw that very first rainbow. It’s a treat for
me to see one, but a treat I have enjoyed several times each summer throughout
my life. Noah was about 600 years old before he saw his first rainbow. It must have
been quite an amazing sight — all that color splashed on a dreary backdrop of
gray water and sky! And Noah didn’t have modern science to explain how light waves
have different lengths, to which God assigned different colors, some of which
are invisible to the unaided human eye. He only saw something beautiful and
miraculous in the heavens.
And
that it was, a beautiful, miraculous sign from God. The rainbow symbolism has
been hi-jacked by certain special interest groups in recent years. But in
Genesis 9, God proclaimed it a sign of His promise to never flood the entire earth
again.
“And
it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be
seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant which is between Me, and
you, and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water
become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:14-15)
You
know, I always thought the rainbow appeared to remind us of God’s
promise. I find it intriguing that God says it is a reminder to Him. Surely God
could never forget any of His promises. He’s the only one I can always count on
to keep a promise. Maybe when His patience with human shenanigans is wearing
thin, considers raining down judgment… quite literally! Then He remembers the rainbow and holds back.
But
God will not be patient forever. He’s made another promise, one we don’t like
to talk about as much. He’s promised to return and judge all mankind and this earth.
God will keep His promise not to flood it again, but it will be destroyed.
“But
the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away
with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth
and it works will be burned up.” (II Peter 3:10)
God
never breaks a promise.
Pretty sobering, right? Well, the story doesn’t end there. There’s one more promise that gives this story a happy ending.
All who love and follow God can look forward to the new heaven and the new earth God will create for our eternal home – an earth free from sin and its trappings. You can read about it in Revelation 21:1-4. And that’s a promise!
