“Sounds Like Freezing Rain”
As I write this musing, my wife sent a text message stating, “It sounds like freezing rain.” I replied, “It is,” because that’s what is happening! The sound of “freezing rain” is unmistakable. That gentle “rice-crispy” crackling is so familiar and one soon hopes the sound changes to the almost silent precipitation called SNOW. (I’d prefer all snow to any ice, anytime! But around here, that’s usually the sequence of winter’s watery blessings!)
We recognize a variety of distinctive sounds and take them all in stride. But occasionally, there are those “mysterious” sounds, and we usually respond with a “What was that?” question. The unknowns often spawn some trepidation, leading to an investigation until it is located and solved. Not so strangely, “things that go bump in the night” cause the most consternation, but when we discover the source of the sound, we often laugh at ourselves for being so apprehensive! We know sounds mean something, and we intend to know that sound is safe rather than dangerous!
But what about the coming of Jesus Christ? That’s a sound we’ve not yet heard! I once attended a gospel meeting where during the sermon, some very mischievous boys placed a gallon jug of propane near the side of the meeting house and with a long fuse, ignited the bomb. It blew out a large window, leaving shards of glass penetrating the heavy drapes covering the window. No one was injured, but the shock abruptly ended the service! The preacher ended his sermon with this question: “What if that had been the Lord coming?”
We know of trumpets sounding His return, and the heavens passing away with a great noise. Then His voice saying, “Come …” first, then “Depart …” to the wicked. Throughout all eternity, the redeemed will shout and sing the praises of Almighty God; the wicked will cry for pain and misery, without God hearing any of their pleas (2 Thessalonians 1:7 – 9). Which sounds would you rather hear: praises to our Father or cries from the lost that will eternally go unanswered, for they failed to listen to God’s call for their salvation?
Yes, I muse on the sounds that are so familiar to us, as well as sounds we need to heed; for they are sounds warning us of danger. We still recognize such sounds in our temporal world. But isn’t it much more important to recognize God’s sounds … especially His words that tell us constantly, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear God’s word.”