Buzz! . . . Tap, tap! . . . Bang! The basement of Jany’s home was a busy place. Workmen were doing some remodeling in the basement, making it more livable. This meant hammering large sheets of drywall into place so that there would be fresh, new walls in the remodeled area. It was exciting to see the changes the workmen made. At last they were all finished, and the dust had been cleared away. Everything was much quieter.
Jany was happy with the changes in the basement, but there was one thing that made her sad. She had a pet cat, and she said her kitty was “a sweet little thing, but very shy,” and now she could not find her. At first Jany thought that the cat had run away. The days of hammering and confusion were probably scary for a small cat, and she thought her kitty might have wanted to get away from the noisy house. But as time passed and still no kitty showed up, Jany became very concerned. Four days went by, and then five . . . still the kitty had not come home. Where could she be? Then Jany had a frightening thought . . . could the cat be trapped somewhere in the house?
Jany went down into the basement. “Here, kitty, kitty,” she called. Suddenly she heard a faint meow coming from behind the walls that had just been drywalled!
A big wall was separating that little cat from her owner, and there was NO WAY poor kitty could get over it or through it all by herself. No amount of pawing and scratching and jumping was enough to free her. That must have been terrible for the little pet. But there is another awful wall which you may not see, but it is just as real. It is a wall that separates boys and girls from God - it is the wall of sin. The Bible tells us, “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you” (Isaiah 59:22But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)). Our iniquities are the bad things that we have done. All of us have sinned, and those sins have made a wall between us and the Lord Jesus. Nothing we can do is enough to take away that “wall.” Trying to be good is not enough, and doing the best we can is not enough. Anything we try is as useless as the poor kitty pawing away at a wall with no opening in it.
Jany knew that the kitty could never get out by herself and would die unless someone came to the rescue. She called the fire department, and a crew was sent out to the house. First they cut a small hole in the drywall near where Jany had heard the cat’s cries. Behind the hole they found only insulation and no cat. But Jany was sure she had heard that faint meow behind the wall! So the firemen then brought in a special camera - a thermal imaging camera-to see if they could find a heat pattern somewhere. (A living body is warmer than the air around it, and so this camera could look for some sign that a living creature was behind the wall.)
The firemen were doing their very best to find the kitty. Do you know that there is Someone who is looking for you? The Bible tells us that “the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). The Lord Jesus loves you and does not want you to remain behind that wall of sin, because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). All of us will die and be forever lost -unless our terrible sins are taken from us. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus made a way to rescue us. He was willing to be punished for those sins on the cross, and now He offers a pardon to anyone who will trust in Him. His blood can cleanse us “from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). The death of the Lord Jesus can solve the problem of the wall between us and God.
Lt. Steve Hanson wanted to get Jany’s cat out from behind that basement wall. Using that special camera, he could see a heat pattern up in the ceiling, so he cut a hole at that spot. But when he looked in with a flashlight, the kitty was not there. However, as he shone the flashlight around, he caught sight of her on a floor joist in another room! He hurried to call Jany to the hole.
“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” Jany called again. This was a familiar voice to the weak, hungry little cat. She knew that voice, and while everyone watched eagerly, a dusty little pet suddenly came tumbling out of the ceiling! All she needed was some food and water to put her on the road to recovery.
Have you heard a voice calling you? The Lord Jesus says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:1818Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)). Wouldn’t that cat have been foolish if she ignored her owner’s voice? It was the way to safety, and all she needed to do was come. And that’s exactly what you need to do: “Come unto Me,” says the Lord Jesus, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)).
ML-05/07/2006