Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up. Isaiah 13:13, 14.
Thick clouds still cover the sky; yet the sun now and then breaks through, appearing like the avenging eye of Jehovah. Fierce lightnings leap from the heavens, enveloping the earth in a sheet of flame. Above the terrific roar of thunder, voices, mysterious and awful, declare the doom of the wicked. The words spoken are not comprehended by all; but they are distinctly understood by the false teachers. Those who a little before were so reckless, so boastful and defiant, so exultant in their cruelty to God’s commandment-keeping people, are now overwhelmed with consternation and shuddering in fear. Their wails are heard above the sound of the elements. Demons acknowledge the deity of Christ and tremble before His power, while men are supplicating for mercy and groveling in abject terror. . . .
Through a rift in the clouds there beams a star whose brilliancy is increased fourfold in contrast with the darkness. It speaks hope and joy to the faithful, but severity and wrath to the transgressors of God’s law. Those who have sacrificed all for Christ are now secure, hidden as in the secret of the Lord’s pavilion. They have been tested, and before the world and the despisers of truth they have evinced their fidelity to Him who died for them. A marvelous change has come over those who have held fast their integrity in the very face of death. They have been suddenly delivered from the dark and terrible tyranny of men transformed to demons. Their faces, so lately pale, anxious, and haggard, are now aglow with wonder, faith, and love. Their voices rise in triumphant song: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Psalm 46:1-3.
Maranatha p. 285
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for our family as we go through a crisis. A
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Dear Friends
One warm, sunny day, we went with Ron’s family to swim at a park at Baden Lake. It was a pleasant place. We laid down our blanket under a large tree, to get some shade. I stayed there with Esther Marie, who was barely a toddler at the time, and gave Ronnie Jay, who was not much older, careful instructions on the dangers of going out over his head when he couldn’t swim. He promised that he would stay at the water’s edge. We gave him a plastic float to play with and he joyfully ran to play in the warm water. Ron and his family walked out on a raised, but submerged pathway to an old piling. They enjoyed diving from that cement piling that was reminiscent of some long ago bridge.
As Ronnie Jay played in the shallow water, he held on tightly to his little plastic float. He became more and more confident and began getting farther and farther from the shoreline. I called to him and he came back…..for a while. Then, while I was busy with Esther Marie, he saw his chance to explore. He had seen his father and the others diving and splashing and having a fun time. He didn’t think that it was a bit fair that he was stuck at the water’s edge. Gripping his float, he waded out into the water at the very spot where he had seen Ron go.
For a few yards, all was well. Suddenly Ronnie Jay stepped off from the submerged walkway. Down he went. The water was way over his head. He didn’t struggle: he just disappeared. About that time, I looked up. No Ronnie Jay! Scanning the water frantically, I spied his float, but he was nowhere to be seen. No, there he was! I could see one little hand still gripping that float tightly.
I shouted for Ron and headed toward the water. Ron got to him before I could and before long, our son was back on dry ground. Never again did Ronnie Jay try to go out into deep water. From that moment, he was content to play at the water’s edge. In fact, even though today he is an adult, he still does not enjoy the water although he can swim.
Many times we have an experience as did Ronnie Jay: we find ourselves submerged in our sins. We feel as did David when he said, “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” “My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.” Ps 38:4; 55:5 We can feel the spiritual life fading from us, yet, we cannot rise above the waters of sin. How much we need a Saviour! How much we long to be lifted up above the overwhelming flood.
Praise God, He has provided the way of escape! “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” Isa 38:17 Our Great Creator could not enjoy the glories of Heaven, while we were ensnared in the devil’s traps. He left His Glorious Kingdom and came to this sinful planet “to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18
How foolish it would have been if Ronnie Jay had told his
father that he was happy drowning under the water and did not want to be rescued. So it is when we turn from our Only Helper to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Our Loving Redeemer suffered untold agony that we might be saved. He pleads with us, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Eze 33:11
Let us be filled with love and gratitude for His great
sacrifice. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering” and turn away from sin. Heb 10:23 Let us share the good news of salvation with those around us, that they, too, may be rescued from the engulfing waters that surround them
Rose

The Earth Flees from its Maker
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