The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts, all the things that creep on the ground, and all people who live on the face of the earth will shake at my presence. The mountains will topple, the cliffs will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. (Ezekiel 38:20)
For a while, Dani and I lived in the California foothills, on top of 370 miles of abandoned gold mines. In the neighboring town of Alta, a thirty-two-year-old schoolteacher plunged to his death when a sinkhole opened beneath his living room. Imagine sitting in front of the TV when the world groans, then falls away.
I realize that will be my destiny too. According to Scripture, the world will fall away for every human, then we will face God. We need to prepare for that shock. It’s not a decision that can be postponed until we’re tumbling through the air.
Some rely on an insurance policy to save them when the floor drops out. Years ago they prayed to receive Christ, but nothing in their life attests to that decision. Maybe their dependance on that waiver will save them, maybe it won’t. Personally, I can’t live with that uncertainty.
Jesus taught us to pray like the lost sinner in his story. “The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’” (Luke 18:13) The Lord assured us that, “this man went down to his home justified.”
Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. That’s a prayer to repeat every day. It’s a prayer not only to mouth, but also to live out in my attitude. The ongoing plea for mercy is the only prayer that appropriates his sufficiency into my need. It’s the only prayer that lets me sleep each night, knowing that when the big crumble hits, I’ll land in his arms.
Prayer: Gracious Father, get ready to catch this sinner.