By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"Unknown"
September 20, 2017
Matthew 24:6-8 - (Jesus said) "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains."
The title of the article in the New York Post captured my attention. It said, "This is what would happen if North Korea launched a real attack."
The article began with a number of assumptions. For example, the author pretty much counted on the fact that the North Korean dictator would continue to rankle most of the rest of the world. Then there was the acknowledgment that while self-preservation might be paramount to most nations' decision-makers, North Korea was more concerned about saving face and not being pushed around.
The rest of the article was filled with a great many seriously depressing facts. Here are just a few. The article said that if North Korea launched an attack,
• President Trump would have ten minutes to decide if he wanted to retaliate; • a North Korean missile would take a half hour to reach Los Angeles or Seattle; • East Coast cities like New York and Washington would have 30 to 40 minutes to prepare; • folks in the USA should be thankful because people in Seoul would have only six minutes to find suitable shelter, and the population of Tokyo would be limited to ten or eleven minutes before a North Korean missile would detonate.
Depressing? You bet! But it could get worse.
Rather than using its nukes, North Korea might elect to launch medium-range missiles armed with chemical and biological warheads. Not even the experts know if any of our counter measures could stop cruise missiles or disease-bearing artillery shells.
Any reader who waded through that article had to feel well educated. The only real question the article left unanswered was what would we do in case of a nuclear attack?
• Would we spend the minutes calling and reassuring our family and friends of our love? • Would we try to apologize to all those whom we have hurt? • Would we throw the world's shortest party? • Would we quit our job and tell the boss what we really thought of him?
Or we could share the Savior with an unbeliever for one last time; or spend those minutes in prayer and thanks that the Savior's grace and salvation remains unaffected by wars and rumors of wars and, because of Jesus, we will be more than victors (see Romans 8:31-39).
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me be prepared for the unknown hour when You will come or when I will leave. Grant me a faith which is unshakable. In Jesus' Name I pray it. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Chris Perez for the New York Post on May 16, 2017. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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