Oh, that now all-too-familiar sound on the radio, "aaah, aaaah, aaaah!" It is an ominous sounding warning, a loud, piercing buzzer, that causes you stop whatever you are doing and tune in. We've been trained from our youth to recognize that sound on radio and television as impending disaster or emergency. It seems to scream, "Pay attention! Keep watch!"I know Colorado isn't the only place in the nation that has experienced that warning signal a lot over the past two weeks. Today makes nine straight days of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in my town. A beloved sister in Texas just sent me photos of her house with the roof blown off. I believe God is training us to watch the skies, even as Yahshua warned us to do in Scripture. In this past hour when the radio blasted the warning signal I went outside, as I always do, to gaze at the westward sky - and once again in my spirit I heard this Scripture from Matthew 16:1-3: "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."Today I believe the Lord is saying to us that we can expect the appearance of the sky to speak more to us than a weather forecast. Yes, I can see that the clouds are dark and ominous. But I must ask myself, what is Yahweh speaking through the thunder? What is He displaying in the lightning? I believe His voice is thundering a warning to us that goes well beyond taking cover or making sure our house insurance is paid up! Today in the rumbling thunder I hear, "Have you made ME your covering? Are you living your life for Me or for yourself? Do you trust Me to be with you in the midst of the storm or are you in panic and fear? Am I your insurance plan, or do you put all your faith in the plans of man? Are you searching the sky for the appearance of storms or do you search it for MY appearing, looking up with joyful anticipation in your heart?"
In other words, CAN YOU NOT INTERPRET THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?
To be sure there are dire times ahead of us. Far too many prophetic people are warning of a major earthquake to occur this summer, probably in connection with our dividing up the land of Israel. If our President persists in doing this, we can be sure the God of Israel will answer. But we also know He is a God of great mercy, and I am equally certain that the storms all across our nation are the warnings of the Righteous King who calls many to repent, deny themselves and their own lustful desires, and pursue the Way that leads to eternal life.
What is the Way? To answer that question puts me on the side of the "right-wing-religious extremists," I guess; because I answer that question in Jesus' words: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by ME." (John 14:6)
