And the rest of the human race, those who were not killed by the plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands in order that they might not worship demons or idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. Such idols are not able to see, hear, or walk. And the rest of the human race did not repent of their murders, their magic arts, their acts of fornication, or their thefts. Rev. 9:20, 21.
This is truly an amazing passage. The people here have endured horrendous tribulations. Marauders numbering in the hundreds of millions have attacked them (Rev. 9:16). Fire, smoke, sulfur, and apocalyptic horses with snakelike tails that bite have assaulted them. One third of the human race has perished from all the various tribulations. One would expect that the rest of humanity would be far more traumatized by these events than were New Yorkers on September 11, 2001. Yet they refuse to repent. Amazing.
One day a chaplain received a request to visit George (not his real name) in the intensive care unit. He learned that George was 47 years old, but when the chaplain entered the room he thought he was in the wrong place. The patient looked more than 60, yet the charts indicated that the chaplain was in the right place, and the man answered to the name listed of the charts.
George was under a sheet and talked as if he were freezing to death. Shaking and desperate, as if every breath would be his last, he spoke the way a drowning man would.
"Gonna...(pant, pant, pant) get my life together. I wanna...(pant, pant, pant) get my life together....I wanna change."
God can work so easily with people like George. The man knew his need for God. He was on the fifth day of detoxification for alcoholism. His body had grown accustomed to being virtually "pickled" in alcohol. Body, mind, and soul all resisted the detoxification process with everything they had. George felt as if he were not going to live as he shook with pain. People like him clearly hear the call of God to repent and set a new direction for their lives.
The amazing thing about our text is that it describes a moment in earth's history when most of the human race is right where George was and yet still refuses to repent. It is possible to ignore the call of God, and do it again and again until one reaches the place that even hitting bottom is no longer enough for the Lord to get through to us. I'd rather pay attention to Him in the good times.
Lord, thank You for the many ways in which You call me to You every day. I have set my heart to hear You and repent today. Teach me what I need to do.
This is truly an amazing passage. The people here have endured horrendous tribulations. Marauders numbering in the hundreds of millions have attacked them (Rev. 9:16). Fire, smoke, sulfur, and apocalyptic horses with snakelike tails that bite have assaulted them. One third of the human race has perished from all the various tribulations. One would expect that the rest of humanity would be far more traumatized by these events than were New Yorkers on September 11, 2001. Yet they refuse to repent. Amazing.
One day a chaplain received a request to visit George (not his real name) in the intensive care unit. He learned that George was 47 years old, but when the chaplain entered the room he thought he was in the wrong place. The patient looked more than 60, yet the charts indicated that the chaplain was in the right place, and the man answered to the name listed of the charts.
George was under a sheet and talked as if he were freezing to death. Shaking and desperate, as if every breath would be his last, he spoke the way a drowning man would.
"Gonna...(pant, pant, pant) get my life together. I wanna...(pant, pant, pant) get my life together....I wanna change."
God can work so easily with people like George. The man knew his need for God. He was on the fifth day of detoxification for alcoholism. His body had grown accustomed to being virtually "pickled" in alcohol. Body, mind, and soul all resisted the detoxification process with everything they had. George felt as if he were not going to live as he shook with pain. People like him clearly hear the call of God to repent and set a new direction for their lives.
The amazing thing about our text is that it describes a moment in earth's history when most of the human race is right where George was and yet still refuses to repent. It is possible to ignore the call of God, and do it again and again until one reaches the place that even hitting bottom is no longer enough for the Lord to get through to us. I'd rather pay attention to Him in the good times.
Lord, thank You for the many ways in which You call me to You every day. I have set my heart to hear You and repent today. Teach me what I need to do.
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