I don't know about you but, for me, this has been one tough year.
First, we have a horrible pandemic, and my wife and I have had to hunker down and semi-quarantine at home for the past year or so. Then, by the grace of God and some caring people, we both obtained our coronavirus vaccinations and started to dream a little about being able to go up north and visit our kids and watch our granddaughter play basketball. Then, all of a sudden someone opened up the door to the North and down has come the coldest weather we can imagine ever occurring here. And, as if that isn't enough, here came the snow.
Now, don't misunderstand me. I like the snow and don't mind most cold weather, but right now in the midst of everything else? To make things worse, it seems that our street is the last to be plowed in our area. That's not so great!
During Colonial America times, one of the greatest preachers our country has ever known, Jonathan Edwards, preached a sermon called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" that has become a classic. He preached the sermon in Enfield, Conn., on July 8, 1741. The preaching of this sermon was the catalyst for the First Great Awakening in our country. It combines vivid imagery of Hell with observations of the world and citations of the Scripture.
Edwards pictured unconverted people walking over the pit of Hell on a rotten covering, and the only reason they have not fallen is God's appointed time has not yet come. Rev. Edwards carefully pointed out that these unsaved people will eventually come to the time when they will slip off the bridge and fall into destruction, into Hell. He further pointed out that the devil and his assistants stand waiting for them to fall like greedy hungry lions that see their prey.
The sermon's passage that created its title goes like this: "The God that holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire on a thread, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire ... you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes, as the most hateful and venomous serpent is in ours."
And, I don't remember whether it was when I read the original sermon or something someone else added to it, but I distinctly remember that at the conclusion of this simile, Jonathan Edwards said, "And God has a pair of scissors!"
During my hibernation at home, I have been rereading the Old Testament Scriptures and appreciating that I am a New Testament Christian following the leadership and teachings of Jesus. Let me point out that the God of the Old Testament, especially in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and the historical sections, is clearly revealed as a very angry God. History is replete with examples of people turning away from God's goodness and grace to follow after false gods and all sorts of evil desires. In response to this, God vows His revenge upon those who have fallen away and expresses His intent to eliminate them from this earth. It is not a pretty picture, but the people who are redeemed through it return to God and His grace forgives them.
So, why am I bringing up this sordid past? Well, it appears to me that too much of America has also fallen away from God, and it is very possible that we are being held by His grace alone. I wonder why only 67% of our population consider themselves religious, why there are so many bizarre religions sprouting up everywhere, and why our churches appear to be more concerned about political correctness and pleasing their people than declaring the Word of God. The bottom line appears to be the loss of faith in the Almighty God.
When the members of our Congress and Senate have their lives threatened by insurrectionists and the very fabric of our democracy challenged, why would people just look the other way and excuse the inexcusable? Why would millions of people still believe in an election conspiracy that has been debunked or that the coronavirus is nothing more than the flu disguised as covid-19 and that the almost half a million people who have died because of it in our country were going to die anyway? I have to wonder where the truth is in our country these days and to worry that maybe our God is so angry with us that He might actually "cut the thread holding us up" and let us fall into the pit referred to in the Bible as Hell.
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Robert Box is the former chaplain for the Bella Vista Police Department and is currently the Fire Department chaplain. Opinions expressed are those of the author.