Text Alert

The alert came on my phone.
Severe thunderstorm warning in our county.
I read the alert and passed it on to my daughters.
I checked the email that coincided with the text alert.

I am always amazed at the precision of the alert.
The counties affected are named.
The time of the storm and the severity of the wind are given.
The type of precipitation and the duration of the storm itself are listed.

Like clockwork, the storm came.
It was as if I read the script beforehand.
Everything that the alert warned happened just as it said.
My oldest daughter sent me a reply, Good thing I just finished my outdoor run!

As quick as the storm came, it left.
No power outage, no massive debris left on the lawn.
Rumbling thunder in the distance lingered as the storm moved away.
At the height of the storm, large hailstones fell and hit against our windows.

This morning, a friend posted a picture of the storm’s aftermath.
A neighbor’s tree fell on top of his wife’s parked car.
No one was hurt, but her back windshield was shattered.
He praised God that no children were outside at the time.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Jesus left them and went away. (Matthew 16:1-4)

Warnings.
Important for our safety and well-being.
That is, if we pay attention.

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pangs…because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come…For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other…this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:4-8, 12-14, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35)

Can you imagine if God sent a text alert to us?
What would it say?
What warning would it give us?
Would we pay attention?

In essence, we have a text alert from God.
We have God’s Word.
We don’t have to wait to read it when we are notified of upcoming danger.
We can read it every day and cherish the promises and heed the warnings.

Christianity is a Word-based faith.
In the age of text messages and twitter accounts, we have the unchanging Word of God.
There is not a 140-character limit to God’s Word.
There are 66 books in the Bible written by 40 human authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Red sky at morning, sailor’s warning. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.
We say the rhyme; we may even take it to heart.
We watch the leaves turn before a storm.
We pay attention to the upcoming weather.

We don’t often pay attention to our souls.
We don’t cling to the promises of God; we don’t trust His faithfulness.
We hold fast to human news reporting, but question the infallibility of God.
It is as if we delete the text before we even read it.

We fail to pay attention.
We think that our faith is a feeling-based faith.
We disregard it and fail to read the message.
How can we share what we don’t know?

We can take God’s Word apart and read it in bits and pieces.
We would miss so much.
We would miss the story of His great love for us by sending His Son.
We would miss the story of His great provision for us by sending His Holy Spirit.

We would not know who we are.
We would have no frame of reference as to our worth and our value.
We would not know how to be saved or what faith in Christ really means.
We would not know the way back Home.

Without God’s Word, we are lost.
With God’s Word we are still lost if we fail to read it, and study it, and hide it in our heart.

Filled with promises, we hope in Him.
Filled with warnings, we cling to His words, Do not be afraid.
Filled with directions, we follow Him.
Filled with history, we trust in His goodness.

Like clockwork, the storm will one day come.
We can read about it beforehand.
Everything in God’s Word will happen just as He says.

Know the signs of the times as God spells them out in His Word.
Know the New Life and Hope we have in Jesus when we come to Him in faith.

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
You can trust those words with your life.