Grace and peace to you.

Today is the day Christians celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Historically, believers go to church and fellowship with other believers, rejoicing in that our Lord and Savior is Risen, and because He is Risen, we also are risen with Him to a lively hope in the future resurrection of our bodies.   Praise God!

However, today is also a day of sadness for many people who were affected by the F-4 tornado that tore through St. Louis, Friday, causing millions of dollars worth of damage and displacing hundreds.  Thousands are without power, and as of yesterday evening, it is not anticipated that power will be restored until Tuesday at the earliest.

Many of the families involved were entertaining relatives who had arrived to celebrate the Easter holiday, and are now either being temporarily housed in shelters, living with relatives or neighbors, or making do in their houses without electricity.

The overwhelming response to this disaster has been one of complete surprise.  Many are saying that they never thought that they would ever be involved in a natural disaster.  Indeed, the same can be said for many of us, who are used to watching the guy on TV holding back tears as he picks up a photo of his grandchildren amid the remains of his demolished house as his wife and children pick through the rubble in search of mementos, valuables, and heirlooms.

For someone who has gone through something like this, consolation could be very difficult.  Rare is the person who is overjoyed simply to have survived a disaster in one piece.  But, I cannot find fault in someone who cannot appreciate this blessing immediately following a catastrophe.  Just because someone is heartbroken over having lost everything but one’s life, does not mean that a person does not appreciate having survived.

I can imagine that all kinds of emotions can surface in the aftermath of a disaster.  One lady I talked to was heartbroken because she did not receive the help from her family that she thought she should have.  Another person was disappointed because he found himself at the mercy of family members who have never liked him.  One lady was not looking forward to the next few days in her home alone without television, radio, or Facebook, and stuck with a husband she has been married to for almost forty years, and with whom meaningful communication has long been a thing of the past.  One person was worried sick about the prospect of becoming a burden on a parent who herself was going through a difficult time.  These are all valid concerns, and most of us could identify with at least one of these scenarios.

Only one person with whom I spoke was actually upbeat about the whole situation.  She was elated just to have survived.  The amazing thing about this woman was that, rather than being concerned about her own situation, she was more concerned about those people who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  She expressed deep regret that the majority of Americans have turned their backs on God and thought that the timing of this event was very significant.  She gave me her own testimony about having been saved out of a life of drugs by a caring church of only a handful of members, and having been sustained by their fellowship and love through some very difficult times.  For her this was a warning to not take the goodness and blessings of God for granted, and to be glad to have been given another opportunity to turn our lives over to him.  This dear lady even made me feel better about not having been touched by this disaster.  She said that my voice was calm and soothing and was actually helping to calm her down.  She added that this would not have been possible had I been in the same situation as she.  There is truth to this statement.  It is remarkable that such insight and perspective could come from someone who had gone through such an ordeal.  This dear lady ended up ministering to me when I was supposed to be the one doing the ministering!

I guess I said all of that to say this.  If you are reading this, you have survived something whether you know about it or not.  For whatever reason, you have been spared a traumatic event –be it a robbery, a rape attempt, a terrorist attack, or a natural disaster like a flood or tornado.  Reflect on what your life would be like at this very moment had something like that happened to you.  Appreciate how blessed you are to be reading this from the comfort of your living room, den, office, or bedroom, all snuggly-wuggly wrapped up in your robe with the smiley-face pin on the lapel, with your hot cup of whatever you like to drink, all snug in your jammies with your slippers on and the room set at a comfortable temperature.

Now imagine, a woman with her three children crammed in a small space at a shelter.  Imagine them sitting bewildered, shivering slightly, partially from cold and partially from shock, in utter disbelief, sitting on a cot wrapped up in blankets, in the company of people whom they don’t know—some good, some bad—the mother trying desperately to hold on to her few valuables, praying that nothing happens to her meager belongings or to one of her children when she goes over to the line to get them a cup of soup.  Imagine that only twenty-four hours earlier, this lady was probably doing the same thing you are doing now, warm and cozy in familiar surroundings with her children safe and sound, tucked into bed or in front of the television.

It could all change in an instant.

If it did, what. would. you. do?  And IF—God forbid—you didn’t survive it, would you be ready to meet the Lord Jesus?  You will one day, you know.  Even though many of you don’t believe that.  Did you know that more people are willing to believe in aliens and Reptilians than God?  Do you know that more of us believe in Santa Claus then the Lord Jesus?  (Even though we saw the toys “hidden” in the closet the week before Christmas!). There is more evidence of an All-Powerful God than there is of ET, and yet…

You will one day meet the Lord Jesus.  And you want to do that with confidence, knowing that you have accepted His grace and have been forgiven your sins.  And you know you have them.  We all do.

It can all happen in the blink of an eye.

Think about it.

If you would like to have confidence and assurance of the future, click here.

For those of you who believe and are waiting for the Lord Jesus, Rejoice!

Be encouraged and look up; your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Copyright © 2011 Anthony Keeton, The Still Man ®.  All Rights Reserved.