Are there storms on your Radar

Revelation 7:1-3

It seems that storms in our life, or in the life of someone you love, make us seekers of God.  Please stay with me for a little longer, often you do not hear about the storm before it comes on your radar, it may be the death of a child, a divorce, HR telling you your services are no longer needed, your 401K evaporating while you look on not knowing what action to take, or some weather related storm or fire that takes a life time of memories from you.  I believe that for many people that is how they see God, all is going smoothly, life is great and then the storm hits, and the person who had not given thought to God for weeks or months, are now seeking the unseen God.  The storm was not seen till it hit, and the God who is unseen is now the focal point, He is the main and most important need of life, in fact, at this point often God is all we have to hold too.

As I began to read chapter 7 of Revelation these thoughts came into my mind, how could any three-dimensional, time related and time controlled person living on this earth, understand the ways of God; who is the Alpha and the Omega, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient, and the answer is, unless God lets us see, it is impossible for man to grasp this God who is unseen.  It is like the storms that come into our life, we hear the thunder long before the storm arrives.

It is so clear that God had to send His only Son, who like God is Spirit and unseen in a three-dimensional body, to tell and to show the world that God loved them so much; it brought to my mind a poem written by a young lady named Carol.  The poem is titled, “Carol’s Talk with God,”  “Carol, how much do you love me, Lord?  God, I love you so much Carol that I did not let my emotions and feelings for my son get in the way of everything that had to happen to him for your sake.  I didn’t give in to the terrible hurt and anguish I felt as they rejected and beat my son.  I never lost sight of what was best for you as I watched them mutilate and tear my son’s body apart.  Your life is more important to me than preserving any dignity or thought for myself.”

So as I began to read chapter 7, verses 1-3, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.  Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”  It became clear that unless the God who is unseen reveals truth to man how could we grasp what John is telling us about the great storm that is coming on our earth.  But you can bet the farm on this, all that is written will take place, that all that God has spoken of in His word will take place, and a wise person will study and pray and ask the Lord to prepare their mind and heart to be ready at the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice