Throughout history, people have believed they could handle any calamity well enough without faith in God. The prophet Isaiah wrote that such scoffers boast, “When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us” (Isaiah 28:15). Isaiah calls these people spiritually blind (see Isaiah 26:11); in other words, they will not attribute any calamity to God’s work. Instead, they will act as if God is not in heaven at all.
Many scoffers in America think their wealth will save them from disaster but God says in no uncertain terms that when his divine shaking begins, the ungodly rich will suddenly see their possessions as worthless (see Isaiah 2:20-21). Others say, “Prophets of doom have been saying the same things for centuries but the world hasn’t ended yet. We just need to enjoy life while we can.”
It is true that God’s prophets have sounded warnings in every generation but history proves that God has always sent his judgments in due time. John Owen, the great Puritan preacher, gave a strong warning to his congregation on April 9, 1680, and while skeptics mocked, God did, in fact, send awful judgments on that society. John Owen lived to weep over a flaming catastrophe that engulfed London and destroyed that great city. In fact, he saw the fulfillment of every one of his powerful prophecies — wars, destruction, shattered economies, nationwide depression, diseases that wiped out multitudes of careless, unconcerned people.
Beloved, we are living in just such a time as Owen’s. And in times like these, there is only one response: “The just shall live by faith!” Owen admonished his people with tears to prepare an ark of safety for themselves and their families. “That ark is Jesus Christ — the only place of safety.”
We may see danger on all sides, but we have a fiery guard of angels surrounding us and a God who is under oath to carry us through any disaster we may face. Put your faith in Jesus and you can face the coming storm with quiet confidence and peace of mind. He is your good, loving shepherd and he is faithful to see you through!