Have you ever made a promise to God if he saved you from a catastrophe? One of my family members was so frightened in a war zone that he promised God he would serve him if God would get him home safely to his family.
Many are the woes of the wicked. In John’s apocalyptic vision, he sees frightening things. An angel opens the abyss and locusts lurch out to bring destruction to the earth. These are scary-looking beasts led by an angel of the Abyss whose name means Destroyer. This is just the first woe. Two more to go. Horses emerge to kill one-third of mankind. Three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of the horses’ mouths.
We might think that everybody would turn to the Lord in such a frightening time. But John says they didn’t. The survivors of the plagues continued with their idolatry, magic, sexual immorality, and thefts. In my lifetime, we have endured earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Once I was hit by a truck and walked away. Knowing that God has spared me from harm makes me want to serve him today. How about you?
The reformer Martin Luther found himself in a severe lightning storm and promised God he would enter a monastery if he allowed him live. Luther survived and became a monk. The fear of dying made him keep his commitment to God. Later, studying the book of Romans, he would find and receive God’s promise of life. What have we promised to God? Have we kept our promises? If we are alive, it is not too late to repent and turn to Jesus Christ in faith. It is not too late. Nor is it too early.
