SEVEN DAYS OF GRACE
For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” Genesis 7:4
Why, when death stares mankind in the face, do they still embrace their freedom to deny the truth? To play it safe, wouldn’t a rational person do something different at the end of his life? History says no.
After 120 years of labor, the ark was finished. Final preparations were being carried out. Everyone except Noah’s family had ridiculed but now they could see pairs of animals entering the ark; coming from every direction, without being herded. Didn’t this unnatural occurrence and bizarre animal behavior make them wonder? It should have.
As over 70,000 species entered the ark, it should have been obvious that something was about to happen. Yet, not one more person from that civilization approached Noah to inquire about salvation. Not one.
Those who have been reckless with their lives are usually reckless with their deaths. While the end of life should be sobering, spiritually, it is not. What causes such blindness? Deception. A lifetime of sin takes its toll on a person. With sin comes spiritual blindness and a hardened heart. Without the Spirit of God’s intervention, it is impossible for an unregenerate heart to become humble enough to see truth.
What should I do if someone I love is approaching the latter years of their life and there is no sign that they will turn to Christ, their ark of safety? I should concede that I cannot argue them into the kingdom. Though some love the sport of debate, no one embraces Christ through apologetic wrangling. The only tool I in my hands that will break the heart of stone is the Word of God. “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29
The Spirit of God, in scripture, is what breaks through the wall of unbelief. I hold it in my hands, look at it for what it is, tremble, and ask God to direct me to the right scriptures to pray over the unbeliever. I stand my ground for the long haul. I put their name in the scriptures I’m led to. I pray them, recite them, and share them with the person directly. Each time I do, if that person is destined to believe, the Word will have its effect. Like strategically placed dynamite, it will slowly implode the crusty exterior of a sin-affected, deceived, hardened heart.
When am I going to really understand the power of Your Word? When I finally get it, I will turn to it first as my only resource. Amen.
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Friday, 26 February 2021.
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