Your Redemption Is Coming

 

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.       - Luke 21:28 Jubilee Bible

Why do you look for the living among the dead? -Luke 24:5 NASB

Cars lie mangled in the middle of the highway. Red and blue lights pulse against the wet asphalt as an ambulance slowly backs up to the carnage. A woman stands weeping next to a solemn officer. Traffic crawls past the wreck in funeral procession as a policeman impatiently motions for the line to move on. His eyes plead, “Please, don’t make it a spectacle.”

But we can’t help it. We have to look.

Inexplicably, we’re drawn to the life-and-death struggles. I don’t know if it’s curiosity or fear that feeds the need for people to watch disasters unfold. The appetite for the macabre may just be a reflection of the world in which we live, a culture that spends millions of dollars to be entertained by the most perverse images Hollywood can conjure up. Death compels us to look. In the process, we lose the respect for life that once helped preserve society.

This world is trapped in a race to perdition.

Every act of rebellion feeds the engine. Every time humanity spits in the face of God, we lunge closer to the edge of the abyss. We argue on social media about what is happening and why. We watch with fascination and a sick stomach as this planet plunges toward a fearsome end. We pass by each injustice in procession, eyes glued to the gore as we shake our heads in disgust and worry about our future.

Sometimes we wonder, "Where Is God?"

One thing's for sure: We won't find Him by wandering through the tombs.

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

Jesus told us plainly that when certain signs begin to come to pass upon the earth, it's time to look up. Unlike us, He's not mesmerized by the horror surrounding us. He's actively engaged in our welfare and extending deliverance to all who ask. We're commanded to follow in His footsteps, to reach beyond our own suffering to serve others. Our world is filled with hurting people. We are all broken on some level, and we will continue to suffer as we journey alongside those intent on destroying themselves and others. 

All humanity may be trapped on the same planet, but we have different destinations. Believers must be aware and informed in order to be active members of society. Aside from that, we can't fixate on the gruesome and vulgar spectacles assaulting our senses. Our Captain plainly directed us to keep our eyes off the storms and lift our faces to heaven. In a moment, any moment of any day, He could return for us.

 One day, He will. Are you prepared to see His beautiful face?