Thoughts for the Day

The Lord goes forth like a soldier,
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes....

I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.
They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
‘You are our gods.’

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

My father was a gentle man, never lost his temper, and spoke quietly. Yet during the Second World War he had served in the Desert Rats, the Parachute Regiment, and finally in the SAS working behind the German lines in occupied Italy. He only ever told us of the day that a mini land-rover was parachuted in to them. They tried it out by driving down the mountain hairpin bends, only to come face to face with a Panza division. They turned and fled back up the mountain before the enemy could shoot. We knew that he worked with two others, blowing up bridges, and must have killed many people. But the point is that we children never saw that side of our father.

The passage above continues yesterday's prophecy that showed how God offered hope to His people from His Servant, the Messiah. Now we learn that the Lord will one day appear again. This time His anger will be stirred against the wicked, and he will destroy the earth. Jesus promised His disciples that he would return, and there would be a reckoning for all of us.

Now I don't believe that climate change is being caused by God to destroy us. We are responsible for the problems with our world, and we have to sort them. But at some point when Jesus does return, that "gentle Jesus meek and mild", will use His power to rescue those who are His sheep, and 'put to shame' those who trust in idols.

Lord Jesus Christ,
let us never forget that You
created our world
and that as the Creator
You care for each one of us.
May we learn from You
how to care for others
and to rescue the weak,
as we wait for Your return.
Amen.