Reinforcing the fact that Spring was just a few days away, a recent March afternoon offered blue skies and a pleasant 77 degrees. But the warning notifications were plentiful on my weather app. Blizzard conditions starting tomorrow at 7:00 am. The current circumstances seemed to defy the possibility of such a radical transition to the predicted harsh, life-threatening conditions. I mumbled, “Are you Serious?”
The rain started around 6:00am. Sleet soon pelted the windows confirming that temperatures were dropping rapidly. With ice accumulating on the branches, the cedar trees lining the property became very distorted. Wind gusts caused the house to creak under the strain. Within the hour, the snowfall was blocking visibility – the blizzard had arrived. The lights flickered as ice-laced power lines fell victim to destructive winds. Then everything went dark; the furnace was silent. When a home is all electric, the loss of power is a significant event.
Never wanting to waste an opportunity, the Holy Spirit prompted my heart to engage in some spiritual reflection. Sitting in the quiet, I contemplated the time when darkness enveloped my life. Try as I might to remedy the situation, I had no power to rectify my spiritual condition. Born in sin, the inner man in rebellion against a holy God, I was spiritually dead. Pretending as I might to embrace the world’s offering, the hollowness of such dependence confirmed Solomon’s conclusion that all is vanity under the sun.
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:14
I often looked for solutions in my own strength, employing innovative thought to reconcile a “meaning of life” conundrum. Perhaps there were moments of contentment but times of trial and difficulty would quickly expose the shallowness of such momentary peace and reveal the matter of spiritual blindness. My attempts were totally inadequate. With hopelessness knocking at my heart, the ability to change life’s trajectory proved futile. As one surrounded by a ring of fire in the forest, I knew there was no escape. Coming to the end of myself, I acknowledged the desperate need to be rescued.
But I wasn’t being rescued from a forest fire – members of the Host Shot crew could have accomplished that feat. No, it was so much greater than that. I was being rescued from spiritual death, a child of wrath, at enmity against the only true God. And how ironic that the same God would be my rescuer. Often the one being rescued doesn’t immediately appreciate all the sacrifices made to execute such action. Only as I came to understand the wretchedness of my sin did the magnitude of the price paid to complete the rescue become apparent. And to think that the only begotten of the Father was the one who laid aside his rights as God, humbled Himself, and took on the nature of man that He might fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation – what a demonstration of infinite love. Innocent of any wrongdoing, perfect in all His ways, Christ became the unblemished lamb sacrificed on the altar to atone for the sins of all who believe. Imputed with the righteousness of Christ, having been born again, my faith and trust in Christ emerged. Through this experience of spiritual rebirth, I was blessed with the privilege of dwelling in His presence in heavenly places. I had no power over my dire situation. But by the One who has power over all things I was declared righteous. Oh, what a great salvation!
“Turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other.”
Isaiah 45:22
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