Tonight's Word 🌱

 

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory."

-Revelation 16: 8-9

These days, I have found myself having to step out of my home for various reasons, and every single time, I am either looking for shade or air conditioned comfort as often as I can while I am outside, or extremely relieved when I reach back home, out of the sun but not without first being properly toasted. Words that I hear around me that are being used to describe the sun's heat range from brutal to scorching to stinging. Can you relate? I don't know about you, but I have started asking myself if this is normal. Is this a new norm? Or am I the one slowly but surely becoming increasingly intolerant or less resilient when it comes to regular heat from the sun? I even ventured to ask some persons senior to me if they remember the heat from the sun being this intense back in the day. Interestingly enough, they have shared that the sun feels much more intense now than how they remember it when they were younger. 

What does all this mean?

Could it be possible that this beautiful star that was created on the fourth day of creation according to the biblical account in Genesis, for the benefit of this earth, be turning into a not-so-good thing? Some may attribute this to climate change. It can be argued that due to the effects of worldwide pollution, the protective ozone layer is being depleted and we are becoming more exposed to the harmful effects of the sun. But I couldn't help but be curious about the existence of another aspect of this phenomenon that we might possibly be missing. Indulge me a bit.

I came across Revelation 16: 8-9 which states: "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory." 

This prophesied sequence of events may not necessarily be exactly what is playing out right now, however it does interestingly reflect the very real and evidential possibility of God's hand moving behind the intensity of the weather conditions, and changes in the celestial bodies as one way to call the attention of mankind, and inspire and effect change in the spiritual awareness and heart condition of His children. The last part of the verse unfortunately demonstrates the sad reality of our lost condition. Instead of humbling ourselves before the God who created us and all that is around us, we curse or turn away from God, become apathetic, or simply dismiss Him.

This verse of scripture caused me to ask myself some introspective questions. What are my initial reactions to the scorching heat of the sun? Is my response to it one of humility and acknowledgement of God or am I caught up in the distractions of this world, not giving second thought to spiritual reminders? Do I use it as an opportunity to search out my heart and allow it to have a purifying effect on me? Or do I use it an opportunity to simply complain, make light of, and laugh it away? Is it possible that my spiritual senses are becoming dulled that I am failing to recognize reminders and opportunities to repent, give God the glory, and work out my salvation with reverence? (Philippians 2: 12-13)

After a quick look around us, in the news, or worldwide, amidst all the good that is still around us, we can also tell that the fabric of society is decaying. There is an alarmingly decreasing respect for human life as evidenced by the crime rate, increase in mental struggles and general apathy. Does this sound familiar? In fact, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 describes our times like this:

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power."

The book of Revelation speaks to the earth's inhabitants of the last days. Our focus verse of scripture tonight also speaks to the last days. Can we see why God may want to get our attention by any means necessary so that we might wake up, call upon him and be saved? Let us each in our own individual heart, seek out our Father sincerely and prayerfully. And the next time we gravitate toward complaining about or making light of the increasing temperatures, let us also remember that maybe, just maybe, it can also be trying to remind us that our Creator may very well be trying to get our attention, before it is too late.

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the beautiful world You created and placed us in from the very beginning. Forgive us for the mistreatment and lack of appreciation for your creation. You have created this planet in a way that everything ought to point us to You. Lord, the sun has been scorching us these days, and we do not lose heart because we know that You are still in control. Help us to use it as a reminder of your creative power, and your desire for us to turn our heart, mind and desire to You. Continue to work on us Lord, and help us to willingly participate in Your will for our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Be blessed by the reminder in song below. 🎧🙏🏼🙂

'Tis Almost Time for the Lord to Come [Melissa Oretade]