Mark 13:18-20
With
Fall officially here, or at least in some parts of the country, some are
getting ready for their ski vacations! Flying down those slopes and then
sitting by the fireplace. Ahhhhhhh! Snow angels, slippery walks, snow banks,
shoveling, ice skates, snow balls, snow forts, sleds and BenGay. We can bring
up so many images and memories of this time of year. And with the cold
temperatures predicted by the Farmer’s Almanac, who knows how it will turn out.
For
those in our text, they hope for a very mild winter. If they must flee
Jerusalem on foot, with small children, without being able to go home and get
the warm winter boots or mittens, then they don’t want to have to do it in snow
and ice. Remember, this is before SUVs and portable space heaters. When you got
cold, you stayed cold. And cold can be deadly, especially if you are
vulnerable.
Our
text says that this will be the worst distress that the world has ever seen. It
must be pretty bad. The world has seen some pretty bad stuff. Just in the last
decade or two the atrocities done by a few on so many has turned our stomachs.
Millions have been starved, tortured, butchered, and raped by very evil people.
But that is nothing compared to the time that is coming ahead. It will make
number one on the top ten terrible days list. It will be the worst in all of
time.
It
is so bad that the LORD Himself shortens the days. Because He cares about His
children, He cuts the time. If He didn’t make it a shorter period of time, the
text says no one would survive. Wow, it is going to be bad. His judgment is
going to be fierce. Sin’s cost will be paid. The wrath He has held back for
thousands of years will be released. No wonder He tells the people living in
Jerusalem to get out without taking anything with them. You don’t want to be
caught up in this kind of judgment.
But
the LORD is gracious. He shortens the time. He deals in measured judgment. A
time will come when the exact price will be extracted for the rebellion of the
human heart, for the rejection of His escape plan. He paid all the tickets, but
some refuse to accept that ticket. They want to try to get on the plane without
going through TSA security and without a valid boarding pass.
The
beginning of our text tells us we should pray about the timing. Why should we
pray if the timing isn’t in our hands, but God’s? Prayer isn’t about changing
God’s mind, but about changing our hearts. Prayer will prepare us for whatever
is ahead. Prayer lines our hearts up with His. Prayer allows us to experience
His peace in any and every circumstance.