Daily Devotions
For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:2
I remember a Sunday evening storm that came without warning. Fear gripped us as the sky grew livid with flashes of lightning, the rain beat against the window of our apartment, and sirens screamed in the distance. Suddenly, a loud knock at the door urged us to join our neighbors in the basement apartment because tornadoes had been sighted nearby. Hastily gathering our sleeping one-year-old out of his crib, we hurried to the basement. As we rushed down the back stairs, we observed the back door torn off its hinges. Entering the basement apartment, we spotted our other neighbors sitting by candlelight holding their small children. We felt cut off from the rest of the city, wondering if others had suffered great damage or even loss of life. We prayed. Soon the worst was over, and we returned to our beds. But my thoughts continued.
How suddenly our sense of values can change. Normal events of importance – a relaxing weekend and getting to work on time – fade into the background when an emergency threatens. With the storm outside, we were concentrating on the essentials of life – surviving, protecting our children, providing our immediate needs. We felt very close to each other and to others in our community in similar danger.
The Bible tells us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night —without warning, without time for special preparation. Who knows when our day will come and we will stand before God. But we can be ready for the Lord at all times. God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins and to rise from the grave. God works faith in our hearts and makes us His own people in Holy Baptism. Trusting Christ alone for salvation, we develop different values. We are moved to love others and reach out to them while praising God for His mercy.
That Sunday evening storm moved us to turn to God and show concern for others! May God ever bring us closer to His Son Jesus Christ!
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for lessons from a storm. Amen.
(Devotion taken from “My Daily Devotion,” copyright 1988, Concordia Publishing House. For more information on this and other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)