This writer has been startled by the cacophony of quiet. I will not claim that there has been peace in the valley in recent days, but there has been quiet. The hackneyed cliche' "the calm before the storm" may apply here, but perhaps a more complex statement being "a quiet section of Storm level 1" may be more appropriate.
While there is a deep peace within my cacophonous soul that only comes through the indwelt presence of the Holy Spirit, that peace is not manifesting itself in the Natural. No, the words "peace" and "quiet" are not always synonymous but can in fact be mutually exclusive. In the world and in the U.S. this morning, there is not peace but merely quiet. This nation appears to be on edge and afraid to breath. It seems as though we are seated in a theater watching a Grade B horror film and the antagonist is drawing his machete to his ear as his victim's back is turned to him unaware. We who sit in this metaphorical cinema are on the edges of our seats and too tense to breath. Those who have popcorn inside of their mouths have ceased chewing. The tension and anticipation of what happens is so thick that we would need that very machete in order to cut through it. Other than the sound of the orchestra rising to a crescendo in the film's soundtrack there is quiet... quiet..... don't breath....
The 2010 political campaigns are ratcheting up and the mud is slinging. This is discordant noise but it is also quiet. Politicians are part of the problem and not the solution as they are not watching at the wall or steeling themselves to be Storm Troopers. Again, if you are expecting great and mighty miracles to take place on November 2nd, 2010, you are putting your trust in princes and mortal men that cannot save. The 2010 American political scene is merely an element of low pressure feeding the Storm and no miracles will come from well-dressed men and women who claim to be for you but are only for themselves.
In this quiet is nervous anticipation. There is anxiety but it will not overtake us. Many are going through their days in denial with dopey-faced grins on their faces; but in this I would suggest increased sobriety. No friends, this is not a time for misery but it is likewise not a time for complacency. Let us who have accepted the saving grace that only comes from Christ Jesus be joyful in our salvation but not lost in a sleepy dream state as it is this morning so very quiet...too quiet.
Watch out that none deceive you with repetitive relaxing lullabies sung with mellifluous voices. Please use this quiet time to pray and prepare.
Dear Lord - we are on the edge of our seats this morning, as we have been for a number of days. I cannot help but to sense that this time of relative calm and quiet is a precursor to a major Storm event and it is making me uneasy. I cannot help but feel that the masses are being hypnotized and that may include some of the brethren. I sense Lord that a section of the floor is about to fall out.
Please Jesus, keep us focused, sober, and aware; and please keep us collected during this uneasy calm. You are the power and the glory. You are the beacon whose light pierces and penetrates the heaviest of snowfall. Please do not let the blah-blah of Television Talking Faces be like white noise that puts us to sleep at the edges of our seats.
And please Lord, keep the brethren from competing against each other to see who can be the better Christians. There are some who believe that they are more saved than others. Lord, if we have accepted your saving grace and mercy and are living repentant lives, if we confess with our mouths that You are Lord and believe in our hearts that the Father raised You from the dead - we are saved. There is no level of arrogance or works that will make one of us more so than the other.
Please Jesus, bring us everlasting peace during this brief bit of quiet and prepare us for what is to come on the Storm. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus! In your magnificent name we pray, amen.
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