Revelation 9; Nehemiah 12; Psalm 104:1-23

“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21 NKJV) 

There are some who take delight in the judgments handed down by God in the book of the Revelation. I don’t, which is what makes this book so hard for me. There are some horrendous plagues meted out, but the amazing thing is, that God, after each plague, leaves an open door for people to repent and turn to Him. The horrendous part of this story is that people going through the plagues still refused to repent. God offered them second, third, fourth, and fifth chances, and He continued to offer them, and yet they turned their backs on God.

That’s a problem not reserved for the end times, either. I see many people who’ve turned their back on God go through difficult times. Suggestions to turn back to God are met with scorn and denunciations of the idea of faith in general. As the troubles mount, they refuse to turn to God and blame, even curse Him. I don’t believe God causes those troubles, but I believe that He will work through them to show people His love and grace if they will only turn to Him. He’s still the God of second, third, and however many chances you need. Whatever you’re going through, whatever your difficulties may be, I implore you to seek Him. He may not take all your problems away, but He’ll walk with you and help you find a way through all the trials of life.

Lord, I pray for all who are going through difficult times whether it be mental, emotional, spiritual, or financial. Help each of those people recognize Your love and grace in the midst of their problems and turn to You for help.