Shock and awe
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
Some Bible readings are practical little ideas. Others show more of the big picture of how things fit together. Today's is beyond epic. The US Army might have thought it invented the term "shock and awe", but God was centuries ahead of them, and this reading shows that he will also have the last word.
Jesus has been opening seals with increasing consequence, and I love that after all the anticipation leading up to the last one, there is no big bang, but "silence in heaven for about half an hour" - I'm guessing the prophet would have sensed this amount of time in his vision and felt pretty stunned by it. It clearly wasn't the end of what God was doing, and it would have been an extreme contrast with the almighty bangs which were coming...
I find it hard to get the scale of what happens along with the trumpet blasts - there seems to be nothing beyond its scope. God's power and authority extend over everything physical, alive and inanimate, and they affect people on land and sea - there is nowhere to hide from God.
Why is God doing this? The very final judgment and the end of evil is coming, which will mean the end of many more who don't recognise and respect who God is and what it means to live a good life. I notice that the prophet records people's lack of repentance even when it seems God can do no more to get their attention and settle the "is there a God?" debate once and for all. Yet even for people who believe, there is still mystery about God - we can't get our heads around him.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
God is relevant even to people who don't believe in him or choose to ignore him - we will all certainly end up paying attention as God accomplishes his renewal of heaven and earth. God also wants us to know about this ahead of time - maybe then we can take the lesson from what God is going to do before we get caught up in the consequences.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
I need to remember that God may well be a still, small voice some of the time, but he is by no means a small, manageable accessory in my life. Sometimes I fall into the trap of trying to fit God into what I want. I am reminded here of my need to fit into what he wants, and seek that more, listening and being ready to repent where necessary.
Who am I going to share this with?
This seems like a tough one for discussion beyond groups of believers. I don’t want to use this like one of Job’s rubbish friends to try and explain their suffering in a time of crisis. But I do want to consider it with others who are at least open to believing in the power of an awesome God who can completely reframe what we understand and expect right now.