Sometimes (okay, most of the time), Word Wednesday is personal for me. But there are other times when it’s about all of us, about the greater world around us. About today, and what we are facing in our world. This weeks’ verse stood 0ut in that way, in a way that makes me sad and makes me feel more urgent than ever.
Genesis 19:14 (GW)–So Lot went out and spoke to the men engaged to his daughters. He said, “hurry! Get out of this place, because the Lord is going to destroy the city.” But they thought he was joking.
Sadly, we sit firmly in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s scary when you look at the Bible and realize where we are (II Timothy 3, anyone?). But since no one knows the day and the time, I’m not going to speculate there.
The part of this verse that really grips my heart is that last sentence: “But they thought he was joking.” It makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry. How many people don’t see what is going on? Lot tried to warn his future sons-in-law, his own family, and they didn’t listen. How many of us have tried to speak to family members only to have them continue to turn away?
But they thought he was joking. Oh, one day, it won’t be funny. It will be the most unfunny thing ever. It really does hurt my heart to think that on the day of my greatest joy, on the day that I get to finally look at Jesus right in the eye, someone will be enduring their greatest torment.
The bigger question here is, what am I supposed to do? What role do I play? What role do you play?
I wish I had more hope to end with, but for some people, they refuse to accept hope. And that’s sad no matter how you try to twist it. I’m praying. Praying that those who think it’s a joke will see the truth before it’s too late. Thank God that He is always, always merciful and that it’s not too late until the end. Hey… there’s the hope!
-JB
Dawn Lucowitz says
I was all prepared with a different verse to respond with, but you got me here. I am posting late since we just moved and are finally settled with internet. During this move, my grandmother passed away. It’s been a mix of emotions because she had such an incredible faith that I know where she is now, yet at the same time, this world will miss her tremendously. Her memorial won’t be for about a month now and I will be giving her eulogy. She is the kind of woman you can’t not talk about her faith and love of God. I know I am suppose to talk about that for sure. One of the other parts that is hard for me with her passing is knowing of the good work God started in her that she won’t get to see completed. The greatest work he began is bringing all of her children to know Jesus. I talked to her at least once a week for the last several years. I always called her after bible study and she and my grandfather were always so happy to see where I was in my faith, how I was growing and how God was using me. I know I have been making a difference in some lives around me, but not enough of a difference in the lives of my own family.
I know that speaking about this very think is going to be one of the most important parts of her eulogy and I continue to be encouraged by verses like the one Jodie just blogged about. One of my least receptive aunts had a small spot of skin cancer removed years ago and all she does is drive everyone in our family crazy about not being in the sun and using sun screen and seeing doctors, yet she gets so mad when my grandparents try to talk to her about Jesus. She goes around trying to “save everyone’s life” yet she doesn’t get that my grandparents were doing the same thing but on such an incredibly larger scale.
I know when the day of the memorial arrives I will have the right words to memorialize my grandmother while sharing her faith. I pray that those words will find their way into the heart of some of my family members.