07
Catalyst
Jeff Weinkauf2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
This morning while I was sitting reading I heard my phone buzz. That's not unusual, it does that a lot. I expected to see a message from a friend, or maybe a work related issue. Instead it was an alert from my Hawaii News Now ap.
"Magnitude 4.3 earthquake strikes Hawaii island ahead of Hurricane Iselle...".
Ok now that's unusual.
Iselle has been on approach for some time now. It's no big surprise that it's coming. We've had time to prepare. With modern weather forecasting tools, satellites etc we've watched as it crossed the ocean, grew in strength and is now expected to make landfall tonight near Hilo on the big island.
Even though it's the first one to do so in over 20 years, most are considering it more of an inconvenience than a disaster. However, just a few days later Iselle will be followed by a second hurricane named Julio. To then also be preceded this morning by an earthquake, well..you've got my attention. God what are you trying to tell us?
Even though it wasn't part of the reading this morning, I was drawn to 2 chronicles 7:14. I'm comforted to know that one of the things on God's mind is healing, and that in His wisdom He has left the door open to reconciliation. If my people will humbly ask, I will hear and heal (jeff paraphrase).
It's moments like these we're facing that God uses great adversity to move us from considering, to facing and deciding. It's a little like hurricane Iselle, where we "see it" coming and early on we're not too worried, we even have time to prepare. If we're honest, most people would say though that they "know" there's some kind of reckoning coming. In fact jokes are often told about "three ethnicities standing at the pearly gates with St Peter". Usually it involves some kind of test and then an up escalator and a down escalator.
For some, it could mean a decision to say "yes" to Jesus. For others a choice to stop "playing" at faith, and "nibbling" around the edges of sin. Whatever the case, God's promise that our response TO Him elicits a response FROM Him.
God thank you for your grace, thank you for times which you engineer for us to consider the deeper things. Please bless and direct our leaders, protect your people, and draw folks to yourself. Amen
