The videos capturing the surge of water that carried life away on Saturday in Japan left an indelible mark upon my heart. A group of us gathered on Sunday at a monthly meeting called Worship at the River in Troutdale, OR in a sweet little wedding venue at the edge of town. During the meeting, we got the opportunity to pray for Japan...and her people, being blessed with the presence of a Japanese exchange student, who did not know Jesus and would be going home in another week. She did not understand much English and we did not understand Japanese, but touching her was like touching the people of Japan and their pain. We wanted to sing in Japanese, "God Help Japan"...something we thought would be simple to learn. It was not. Instead, we had her repeat the phrase over and over as we prayed blessings over Japan and cried for mercy and salvation from the Lord for the nation and the people. As the girl continued to repeat the phrase, she began to cry. It was so touching and many in the room began to cry as well, including myself. Such a simple prayer...yet, so powerful. For God hears every word from a sincere heart. The girl had been able to communicate with her family and they were all fine...but how many others were not? So many precious lives were lost. What is our response? There is no doubt in my mind that God LOVES Japan. All the nations of the earth are precious to Him - and they don't know it.
Each ensuing natural disaster where there is profound destruction and loss of life leaves many asking questions that have difficult and uncomfortable answers. The number one question that I hear so often after a crisis is, "Did God do this?" Whenever we say, "No." The next question or comment is, "Well, if He didn't cause it, did He allow it?" When we say, "Yes," they raise their fist to the heavens and say, "How can a God of love allow such untold suffering to so many people?" And they begin to accuse Him.
I can say without conflicting emotions that God is surely a God of love that deeply cares about human beings. If He did not, He would NEVER have sent His only Son to die such a brutal death in order to reconcile the world back to Himself. He would not have cared that we understand His character and His heart, displayed so perfectly in the life of Jesus. He came for the sole purpose of showing us the Father; revealing His love and concern for us; His intention and desire for us to know Him as He is. Without such a pure representation in the earth, men who claimed to represent God would have continued to MIS-represent Him and keep people from entering into direct relationship with Him. However, He is also a God that will not allow men to continue in undisturbed delusion. Eternity is bearing down upon planet Earth and unless men are awoken from their slumber, through whatever means God deems necessary to perform that task, then much more human life will be lost in the Great Judgment that IS coming. Eternity is what matters, not the temporal reality that we have constructed for ourselves. We cannot continue worshiping false gods and expect the One True God to wink His eye at such idolatry forever. The question I ask is, will men awaken? Will they see their lives as mere grass - as vapor - and turn to the One True God, who loves them so dearly, desiring to adopt them and make them His own? The media, who has replaced God with Mother Nature, will not give such a call. We must pray that God would send out His laborers into the field that is white for harvest. We must pray that God would grant repentance to those He is calling unto Himself. We must petition the Holy Spirit to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
When Jesus walked among men, He was asked many times about the signs that would precede His coming. He did not hide the fact that the signs would include global unrest and widespread natural disasters. He was up front about this. Whenever He spoke about such events, He never told His disciples to go and find a place to hide or to stock up on guns and ammunition. He didn't tell His disciples to protect themselves. He told them, "DO NOT FEAR. These things will come, but don't be afraid. Fear will be widespread, and lawlessness will abound. Love will grow cold because of iniquity. However, if you belong to ME, you have nothing to be afraid of. Only take care that no man deceives you." This is what Jesus was MOST concerned about. Take heed that you are not deceived. Jesus will be with us in the fire and in the flood. He told us that He would NEVER forsake us. But, beloved, the last days will be a time when people will give heed to deceiving spirits and be led astray by them. It will be a time when people will place more confidence in man's ways than in obeying and being true to the Word of God, because obeying the Word of God will be the difficult path to follow. This is why Jesus said,"When I return, will I find faith on the earth?"
The seducing spirits will cause men and women to love themselves and do what "feels right" to THEM. This will open them up to receive instructions that are in conflict with the Truth of God's Word, which will lead them away from the Faith, and give way to lawlessness. Marriages across the land are being devastated because they are giving heed to seducing spirits. Children are being disobedient and dishonoring to their parents because they've given heed to seducing spirits. A spirit of repentance is required to break away from this sort of seduction and a returning to God's Word as our only source of Truth and Light.
There is no reason to shake our fists at heaven for the earthquakes and the devastation. There is a need, however, for time on our knees and a humbling of our hearts before the God of all creation who is, indeed, a God of infinite, immeasurable love. He will save us if we call upon the name of Jesus with a genuine heart of repentance, and He will keep us in these troubling times. This is His promise to us...and He NEVER breaks His promises.
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