Good morning family, friends and countrymen!
It's been too long since I've been blogging. It's good to be back!
I was just innocently sitting here this morning, preparing my still sleep-numbed thoughts and heart for the day when seemingly out of nowhere a thought hit me. It’s one of those times you’re not even thinking on a topic when suddenly there it is; a whole concept seems to just pop into your brain. Do you know what I mean? As you can tell, the way this happens intrigues me!
This sudden “revelation” takes a closer look at God's wrath, and many people’s claim that when bad things happen or there’s a horrible disaster of some kind that God has caused it... while others claim that’s foolish, for according to them there is no God that controls things! (Have you noticed, poor God seems to be the most popular fall guy of all time, and frequently gets accused of all that goes wrong in the world while man gladly takes all the credit for the good!)
So who’s right? If the atheists are wrong, as I believe they are, and there truly is a supreme God, does He REALLY call down his wrath on us poor, innocent little human beings (wrote with a tinge of sarcasm of course) through trouble and disasters?
Are you ready for this brilliant answer? The answer in a nutshell is, “Yes” and “No”. And, “No", I’m not toying with you. (But I sure enjoyed being able to answer that way!)
Seriously, this morning I could see so clearly the reality that when God withdraws his presence and hand of protection and blessing from our lives, the result is chaos for we are then exposed and vulnerable to the natural progression of things.
This is what America is now experiencing. Not his wrath (yet) but a withdrawing of Himself. And as he withdraws, so goes too with Him the loving attention, protection and blessings that He has so abundantly provided—and which we have so arrogantly denied! Through the years He has patiently warned, entreated and pleaded with us to return to a standard of uprightness, telling us He will not be able to stick around us too much longer if we continue to choose the darkness over his Light. But we could not hear it for we have willingly and happily allowed ourselves to be distracted by his benefits. (We've also become so accustomed to them that we have arrogantly taken these precious benefits for granted, even to the point of claiming they’re our “God-given right" to have!)
As a Christian, have you ever considered what life would be like without the stabilizing factor of God’s presence and affect on man? I have. The thought is frightening and very similar to what we’re starting to see happen around us.
Read the book of Romans. There it tells of God “turning people over” to their own carnal desires and appetites, which by their own rebellious acts have shown that is what they’ve wanted all along. “By “turning over”, this means he establishes a hands off policy, and lets them have their way. He’s essentially saying, “You want it... you’ve got it!” and steps aside (a withdrawing). They then arrogantly grab it, refusing to accept they are also bringing dire consequences right along with it.
We clearly see a downward spiral from blessing to chaos.
So do I believe God is responsible for all the chaos we’re beginning to see? “No.” I believe we’re seeing the natural consequence of kicking God aside, catering to self and rebellion,
Is He to blame for the rapid rise of natural and man-made disasters around the world, and here at home? Is he "punishing" us? “No.” I don’t believe so. It too is the natural consequence of telling God we don’t need Him, and to get lost. We have failed to recognize his wonderful care and hand of blessing and so have scorned it. We are simply beginning to experience the natural consequences of a world without it.
Think of what we are seeing in this way: if you fire your maintenance person because you don’t recognize his value, after he’s departed and is no longer a part of your company is it his fault when the facility starts falling apart around you? Of course not! It would be ludicrous to blame him. You are simply bearing the natural consequences of your poor decision. Yet isn't that what we're doing with God? On the one hand we tell him to get lost, that we don't need him, while on the other we blame him and loudly cry, "Where was God when...!" You can fill in the rest. I believe this hypocrisy is something we each need to seriously think about, as individuals and as a nation.
Think of what we are seeing in this way: if you fire your maintenance person because you don’t recognize his value, after he’s departed and is no longer a part of your company is it his fault when the facility starts falling apart around you? Of course not! It would be ludicrous to blame him. You are simply bearing the natural consequences of your poor decision. Yet isn't that what we're doing with God? On the one hand we tell him to get lost, that we don't need him, while on the other we blame him and loudly cry, "Where was God when...!" You can fill in the rest. I believe this hypocrisy is something we each need to seriously think about, as individuals and as a nation.
Does God take his “wrath” out on man? Without a doubt, “Yes.” The Bible reports that God has occasionally resorted to it. But how often has he done so? Wrath seems to be the rarity with God, not the norm. I can’t help but wonder… have any of us ever witnessed his true wrath? Has mankind experienced it in recent history? I lean toward the answer of, “No,” to both questions. There is something in me that says when man experiences the true wrath of God, we’re going to know it! There will be no doubts. God will have spoken.
If we’re wise, we will take this downward spiral toward chaos as a warning of things to come, and so recognize the need to clean up our act. For when he finally does speak….
What do YOU think?
