Zephaniah 2
Hide in a Safe Place!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 3.
Throughout our rural communities in the Midwest, there are giant sirens positioned throughout the counties. They remain quiet reminders of the danger that lurks by living in tornado alley. While they are tested every Friday at noon, they are used only when a tornado has been spotted in the vicinity. When the siren sounds, there is a prescribed response – hide in a safe place! Unfortunately, too many of us do the opposite – we sit out on the front porch watching the storm.
The prophets of the Old Testament are like tornado sirens. They were sent by God when there was grave danger, but the people tended to respond to them like mere entertainment, rather than heed the warning of the watchmen on the wall. Their call to repentance was a loving invitation to seek safety by hiding in God through a faith relationship with the only One who could protect them from the coming storm, just as the prophet declared to Judah in Zephaniah 2:1-3:
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree takes effect – the day passes like the chaff – before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.
There is a broken place inside of each of us that struggles to do the right thing when we hear the warning siren of the Lord in our lives, and it puts us in danger every time. The next time the siren goes off, you are invited to heed the warning and seek shelter. Whereas curiosity killed the cat, repentance will save a soul.
Seize the moment and hide in a safe place – “God is our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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