The eastbound lanes of the four-lane highway were jammed bumper-to-bumper with commuters on their way into the city to work. Impatient motorists jockeyed for position in the never-ending stream of humanity.
Suddenly a fire truck appeared, siren blaring and lights flashing as it bore down on the slowly moving stream of traffic. But no one pulled over. The traffic surged relentlessly on as the fire truck, still flashing its lights and sounding its siren, slowed to a crawl at the tail end of the line.
What was wrong? Were the drivers all deaf? Of course not. The problem was not a lack of hearing, but a lack of attention. Sirens were so common in the huge metropolitan area, that motorists simply didn't notice them any more.
Have you paid attention to His call and responded to His command? You've heard the warnings often— from your neighbor, from the girl at the next desk at your office, from the news media. Have you heard them so often that they just "go in one ear and out the other"?
The driver of the fire truck had one more resource at his command. Picking up the microphone in the cab of his truck he broadcast a stern command at top volume: "All drivers pull your vehicles over to the right."
The response was instantaneous. Every vehicle immediately pulled over to the right and the fire truck roared on by.
What made the difference? The personal touch—the voice of the fireman.
God has been speaking personally to you too. Remember the time you broke your leg? or the phone call that informed you that a loved one had died? or that near accident on the freeway last week? God uses these incidents and others like them to get your attention. How loudly is He going to have to speak before you listen?
He is lovingly calling you and warning you of the terrible consequences of ignoring His call. Won't you accept His offer of salvation today?