From my journal, 6/6/23, 8 AM
Today the sun is veiled with smoke and particulate matter that has migrated into my neighborhood from the Canadian wildfires up north. (That’s the meteorological explanation, courtesy of my weather app. )
My husband called me from the porch a short time ago, “Come outside, you’ve got to see this!” As I hurried out and looked up toward the eastern morning sky, I saw what I thought was the moon, full and red. But as we stared we soon realized this actually was the sun, slowly rising as it always does. But this time it was different. It was red. It had lost its shine and warmth. We could look straight at it without squinting. Its eerie glow cast a sepia tint upon everything and the morning light was dusky and amber-hued. The air felt cooler and “heavier” than it would be if the sun were not blocked by the haze. The scene looked and felt…well…surreal.
The U.S. National Weather Service has posted an Air Quality Alert for our area. The particulates are gathering at unhealthy levels. We are advised to “consider limiting strenuous outdoor activity.” Call your doctor if you have symptoms. Protect your young and your old.
I am told that this type of thing is a familiar occurrence in some parts of the country where wildfires are more ‘common’. But it is strange, unsettling, and seems almost apocalyptic here in the Northeast.
The scene today brought to my mind a Bible passage,
And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Joel 2:30-32
Recently I have been studying Revelation and end times prophecy which speaks of things to come. So today, with these “signs in the heavens” my heart responded with its own alert. An alert of Biblical proportions. This alert advised me to keep looking up and to “consider limiting my worldly pleasures.” To protect my own heart and to pray fervently for the hearts and eternal well-being of my loved ones. In short, to focus on what is really important. To set my focus, not on the smoky dark problems of this world around me, but to look up, beyond the dusky sky to the One who cares for us and Who holds all this together.
For me, this unusual day is a reminder of God’s goodness and His faithful love for us. The way He provides our daily requirements of air, water, light and all we need to live.
Yet I feel an urgency as well.
We have a problem here on planet Earth. This beautiful world He gave us has been infected with evil. It’s a spiritual pandemic. The symptoms include hate, anger, and pride. It results in sin, suffering and death. God calls this problem sin. And because God is righteous, there is coming a time when He will deal with it and make all things right.
We read about Noah in the book of Genesis in the Bible. In the time of Noah, the people were living their lives ignorant of God until the day when Noah entered the ark.
…and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man…Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
Matthew 24:39
God provided an ark of safety for Noah and his family during a time of great judgment on the earth. God’s righteousness required that evil would be judged and the wrong made right. The flood of judgment was coming for those who had no time for Him, but God’s faithful love and justice provided an ark of salvation for those who trusted Him. He took them out of the judgment. All they had to do was believe in God and get into the boat.
The red sun this morning reminded me of this. You see, I love Jesus and I believe the Bible when it ways that there is a flood of judgment on the way. Difficult days are coming. The most difficult the world has ever seen. Yet our loving God has provided a way of salvation for those who will trust Him. An ark of safety. Jesus came to die and take the penalty for your sin and mine. And He is coming soon to take His children Home. That’s how much He loves us!
Today is the day of salvation. God wants you to come. Tell Him you are sorry for your sin. Trust in Jesus to save you. Believe in Him. The door is open. Get into the boat!
Keep looking up.
If you would like to know more about God’s Simple Plan of Salvation and how to become a child of God click here: http://lighthousebiblechurchonline.org/?page_id=42
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