A tornado had swirled through the little town, leaving death and destruction in its wake.
“We had a lucky escape,” said one homeowner as he surveyed the small amount of damage his property had received.
“We’re to be congratulated,” said his neighbor who was also relatively untouched.
“Oh, yes!” added a third. “Just a little closer and my home would have been demolished!”
While the relieved neighbors congratulate themselves on their good “luck,” could it really have been just a blind chance that saved their houses? No. Behind all the miraculous escapes which human nature is only too willing to boast of, there is the merciful hand of a God who loves them and wishes their eternal blessing. Preservation from danger is just one of the many ways which God uses to speak to men.
If you have had such an experience, do not be deceived by the suggestion of the devil as to “chance” or “luck” or “fate.” If God Himself in His infinite mercy has spared your life and perhaps your home, then let that mercy be acknowledged and God be thanked.
This raises another question: Why has God spared you? Why did He allow your soul to tremble at the thought of being within a split second of eternity, and yet brought back from it? Why then, you say, does God use so drastic a manner of speaking to me? Is He demanding something from me?
No, again! If God preserved your life, it is that He might secure your precious, everlasting soul; it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. This is still the day of His grace, and He waits that He may be gracious. God alone knows the shortness of the time that remains. Take your true place now as a repentant sinner before God, and, by putting your trust and faith in Jesus, claim the eternal blessing that God in His mercy is still so freely offering.