Listening, Watching and Preparing for Action

 

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen, Come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”*

 

Every month at noon on Saturday a prolonged siren blares through our neighborhood—a tornado warning signal! This is just a test to see if the system is working; however, having been a teacher for over thirty years, whenever the tornado siren sounds, I have the urge to do something.

When the fire alarm would sound at school, we would immediately stop what we were doing, take a head count of the students in the room, form a line and quickly march out to the playground where another roll call would be taken. There the entire student body and staff would wait until everyone had been accounted for, returning to our classrooms only after hearing the “all clear” signal.

Fire drills were conducted regularly, so the teachers were usually notified ahead of time in order to be prepared. While we didn’t know the exact time of the drill, we knew what day it was going to be. That helped especially in keeping things calm and orderly.

 For several days in a row, we have been on tornado watch here in Michigan due to a volatile storm front moving through the state, but the siren hasn’t sounded yet. One night in particular, the forecast was of severe thunderstorms with lightning, thunder, possible flooding and yes, the possibility of a tornado.

Al and I have talked about what we should do in case we heard the siren. We could easily run downstairs to the basement and take shelter in one of the inner rooms. Teddy, our retriever, would follow us; however, it would be a major fight getting the other dog, TJ,  down to the basement.

When the lightning and thunder began to increase in intensity, we collected the flashlight, candles, matches and a lantern just in case the power went out. The dogs were scared, shivering and jumping whenever a thunderclap shook the house. Well, to tell the truth, it was unnerving, especially with the threat of a tornado on top of everything else.

We finally decided to give them each a canine sedative, hoping it would calm them down. No sleeping pills for us though! If a tornado did come, there was a better chance of getting a sleeping TJ down into the basement. Otherwise, we would all have to take shelter in the hallway on the main floor of the house, not the safest option.

Waves of the storm came through all night long. Sleeping on the couch was the only way the dogs could be comforted, even with their sedative, which didn’t seem to take effect until after 4:00 a.m.! I don’t know if I could have gone to sleep anyway, with the prospect of the tornado touchdown. I sure didn’t want to miss that siren.

Thankfully, we all fell sound asleep once the storm had passed over us. The rest of the night, whatever remained of it, passed uneventfully. The power stayed on, no big trees had fallen over and there had been no tornados. Praise the Lord!

It was interesting to hear the weatherman say very emphatically to his TV audience, “If you hear the warning siren, do something! Take action!” No need to worry, Weatherman Dave. Believe me, if I hear the siren, I’m going to move!

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the signs of the coming of His kingdom to earth, He gave several things to watch for, including: wars and rumors of wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence, religious persecution, false “messiahs” and the preaching of the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus throughout the world! He did not specify when these things would happen, but rather told them to watch and be ready. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21:5-36)

Just as a woman’s labor pains get significantly stronger and closer together when the baby is about to arrive, or as buds on the trees after a long winter give notice to the coming of summer, so it will be before Jesus’ return to earth. No, He hasn’t returned as of this writing; but we, His children, had better sit up and take notice as the things Jesus mentioned occur around the world. We must watch, pay attention and get prepared to meet Him. It’s time to take action.  

*Revelation 22:20-21 NIV

(pictures...above TJ & below Teddy...frightened by the storm)