Understanding the Times, Part 2

1 Chronicles 12:32 (NLT)

They understood the times they were living in and knew how to respond.

If you are like me, you hear about the disaster while watching the news or reading the paper.  Yet because it's so far away, you feel helpless to help.  You may utter up a prayer or two, but soon, you're on to the next thing. 

And then the next night or the next week or the next month, it's yet another disaster.  But because there's such chaos in the world anyway, you begin to feel numb to the reports that keep coming in.  Before long, you're hardly listening.  Perhaps your heart (like mine) has grown cold.

Yet in the last 2 years alone, the world has seen an unprecidented number of natural disasters.  This is NOT a cosmic accident.  God loves the world.  (Remember John 3:16?)  He's trying to get our attention.

Take a look at what's happened in the last 2 years alone.  (Remember, as I said yesterday, most of this list below comes from Joel Rosenberg's notes from the 9/11 simulcast.  The research is his.)

• 2011 Japan:  Suffered what the Prime Minister calls the worst disaster since World War II: a devastating earthquake, tsunami, and multiple nuclear meltdowns all at once.
• 2011 Austrailia:  Devastating floods this year.  One headline read: "Austrailia Faces Biblical Floods"
• 2011 Arab World:  Revolutions and uprisings - we have seen rulers and regimes overthrown and destroyed in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya.
• 2011 Russia:  Suffering it's worst drought in 100 years.
• 2011 China:  Suffering it's worst drought in 200 years. 
• 2011 Norway:  Terrorist attack (using the name of Christianity)
• 2011 London:  Lawlessness on the streets
• 2010 New Zealand:  The earthquake in Christchurch last year was the worst in the history of New Zealand.  1 in 3 buildings had to be demolished.
• 2010  Haiti:  Experienced the second deadliest earthquake in all of human history.  1150 in China was the worst.

What a different perspective when you look at it as a whole instead of as individual disasters.  When combined with what we see happening in America (yesterday's post), even the unbeliever must wonder, what's going on in the world?   According to the Bible, these shakings will continue to happen.  (See Hebrews 12:25-26)

After reading these posts, begin making mental notes of what you see playing out in the world.  Remember, the Bible encourages us to understand the times we are living in,so that we'll know how to respond.

Don't let your head get stuck in the sand of the everyday grind.  God is trying to get our attention - we need to understand the times.  Are we listening?

Share this with a friend today.

Next Post:  Israel's significance in the world -
Next Post:  How God wants us to respond - Part 1Next Post:  How God wants us to respond - Part 2

See you next time-