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February 1, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Wake Up Call, by Russ Lawson
My wife and I occasionally stay in hotels when we travel. It's not
unusual for us to arrange for the hotel to give us what is called "A
wake up call" -- that is a call to make sure we are awake and ready to
start our day on time.
In the USA we also use the term "Walk up Call" to describe life
changing or challenging events. The problem is that sometimes we want
to turn over, cover up our heads and go back to sleep and forget the
"wake up call"!
Notice what happened in this "wake up call"!
It happened in 1883, in New England the Sun didn't rise! The people
awoke to an eerie darkness. They went outside to do their chores in
stony silence. No rooster crowed, no birds chirping, none of the
usual sounds of a new day. At the very start, people began to
gather in small groups to question what was happening, to wonder
and discuss what was taking place. Slowly, people began to make
their way to the Churches. They say that by twelve noon every
Church in New England was filled to overflowing with people on
their knees crying out to God. There were cries for mercy, people
begging for forgiveness and others confessing their sins. They say
that there were few people who didn't pray the day the sun didn't
rise. The Churches were full late into the night.
As the next morning neared, great crowds began to gather on the
hilltops and the high places near their homes and churches. People
were staring toward the eastern horizon. Every eye was fixed on
that point where the sky touched the land. Every eye watching,
hoping to catch a glimmer of the first rays of the Sun. As the sun
began to come up over the horizon, people began to shout and yell
praise to God, they clapped, danced and rejoiced because the Sun
shined on the land again. As if in one voice, they began to praise
the Lord for the sunlight, the warmth and the joy of God's new day.
This is understandable. So here is the rest of the story:
These people had no idea that on the Island nation of Indonesia,
the sleeping giant of a volcano, Krakatoa, had come to life. They
had no idea that this great mountain exploded and sent a huge cloud
of dust and ash into the upper atmosphere. This black cloud would
be carried around the world by the jet stream. It was said to cover
whole regions, covering the sky from horizon to horizon. Few people
had any idea that a volcano, half way around the world, could
create such a cloud that could block out the Sun. Yet for most of
those people that was the very first time they ever thanked God for
the warmth and wonder of the Sun.*
We must not forget the lessons learned!
But people are people, and like most of us, they soon forgot. They
forgot the day they thought Jesus was coming back. They forgot the
prayers, pleading and repentance. They forgot the thanksgiving they had
offered to God. They went back to their old life styles, their old
habits, and forgot all of the promises they had made to God.
Another "wake up call" happened for many of us on September 11, 2001! A
great disaster took place in New York. Terrorists killed thousands of
people from all different races and nations. People began to realize
just how quickly life could end and to think about how important God
should be in their lives. Some repented of their sinful ways. Some made
promises to do better and to serve God. We became a people who were
thankful for each new day and for each time we got to see our friends,
family, wives, husbands and children. We became more aware of God's
blessings on us. We were more thankful to God for our lives than
perhaps we had been for a long time. Why? Because we had no idea that
one man with an insane dream could hurt us or our nation, our people,
our friends and families so much. But then the clouds of smoke cleared,
and we began to feel secure once again, and we began to forget.
How many wake up calls do we get? What "wake up call" have you received
in your life? Did you really "wake up," or soon forget your prayers and
promises? You may not get another call to wake up, a second chance!
Let me leave you with three verses to ponder:
Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is;
time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is
nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11 NLT). Wake up
from your drunken stupor ... and do not go on sinning. For some
have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame (1 Corinthians
15:34 ESV). For the light makes everything visible. This is why it
is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead and Christ will
give you light! (Ephesians 5:14 NLT)
May we listen to our "wake up call" and not forget the lessons learned!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* The original author of this report is not known, but the story is
widely known.
---------
(c) 2009 Russ Lawson <rlawson@wclo.net>, Messages from the Heart
<http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Wake Up Call?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200808/20080823_wakeup.html
* Not Asleep?
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20011216
* Stay Awake!
http://www.heartlight.org/caring_touch/becton_025.html
* Messages from the Heart
http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200902/20090201_wakeupcall.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE POWER OF A PRAYING WIFE, by Stormie Omartian
Today's challenges and pressures can make a fulfilling marriage seem
like an impossible dream. Stormie Omartian shares how God has
strengthened her own marriage since she began to pray for her husband
concerning key areas of his life.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?256
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