World Unyielding

Behold, the storm of the LORD!
  Wrath has gone,
a whirling tempest;
  it will burst upon the head of the wicked.

Jeremiah 23:19

There is a coming storm. Human devices can neither deter the event nor offer a way of escape. Survey all that creation has to offer for refuge; the storm remains unavoidable. Hide among the rocks, work laboriously to construct your own shelter; destruction draws near. Wrath has already gone forth to awaken souls. God has sent a warning, having awakened men and women alike to raise the alarm of His word. The storm comes as a judgment. It is heading toward sinners. It belongs to the LORD; it comes from Him. It is a display of His immense power and righteous anger. Put together all the driving winds and torrential rains people experience on earth; this storm outweighs them all. For these powers will permeate the inner being and devastate countless souls.

All seems well, for now. There is a calm. Everyone has gone their own way, straying from the LORD into sin. It is the fallen disposition of mankind to follow the dictates of their own hearts. Reassurance is offered to one another, saying, “Everything will be alright. Things will work out in the end.” It never worked out for a single soul that despised the LORD. Men love to wish one another peace, and even religious men claim to speak on behalf of God with such soothing words. Yet, is there truly peace for the person? Is their forecast correct? God alerts us all, saying, “There is no peace for the wicked.”

Look at the cutting-edge technologies of today. Men take pride in forecasting storms and employing emergency alert systems. They weigh up probabilities and map out the projected path of a storm. With all the technology at our disposal today, apart from the warnings God issues in mercy, we would be left unaware of the storm of the LORD. It slips under the radar. Reader, contemplate the momentous event. A young man and his friends stare at one another in bewilderment. A husband and his mistress have nowhere to hide. The storm has come. Judgment has arrived. Who could have seen it coming? It was so sudden. How could I have been blinded to something so big? And now, what is left to do? God is recompensing men for their wicked deeds. His righteous anger is no longer restrained. Panic has descended upon a multitude of souls. A widespread state of emergency. The time for disaster preparedness has expired. All thoughts of self-sufficiency have been dashed. Entire populations are thrown into turmoil. Disaster cannot be averted, for the LORD himself will not relent.

The LORD’s wrath will burst upon the head of the wicked. Lord, was it not so with my soul? I was in the direct path of the storm, even the eye of the storm. Wrath was heading for me. Then you stood in the breach; you sheltered my helpless soul. Yes, the wrath heading for me stopped short. It halted upon the head of my Savior and burst upon His skull at Golgotha. Though it was meant for me, as wicked as I am, it fell violently upon Him alone who is without guilt. Judgment was executed. All the wrath of God precipitated upon the head of my Lord Jesus Christ as blood poured from His head and loud cries of anguish rang out. The fullness of Deity clothed in human flesh absorbed every drop of wrath. Now the very record of sin that warranted such punishment has been blotted out like a cloud. He has caused them to vanish like the morning mist. Hallelujah, He has redeemed me! I will return to Him, the resurrected Guardian of my soul. Believing in Him, there is no need to fear the righteous anger of God. For it has been entirely spent upon my Lord and Savior. God in His wisdom and righteousness is not minded to make miscalculations nor visit with wrath the soul who has taken refuge in Christ. Praise His name!