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I’m not sure if I should clean up all the debris left from the storm or just wait to see if the locust plague will take care of it. After the year we’ve had, I don’t think any plague would surprise us. 

After the death of broadcaster Larry King in January, they played a clip where he challenged a person of faith to answer how they can maintain faith in a good God or any God for that matter in light of all the natural disasters that cause thousands of innocent people to die. Mr. King joins the countless numbers who use pain, suffering and death to keep themselves from a faith in God. 

Solomon had an interesting insight on suffering: “On the day of prosperity be happy, But on the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other So that a person will not discover anything that will come after him” (Eccl. 7:14). Solomon says we won’t discover anything new about pain and pleasure after we die. The Bible describes two destinies after death. One of pleasure in the presence of God and another of anguish separated from God. We couldn’t relate to the concept of an eternity of either pleasure or pain unless we experienced it some in this life. Without pain in this life it would come as a total shock and surprise after death. We hear people complain how unfair God is to allow pain, but if He didn’t, imagine the complaints of those separated from God who didn’t understand the concept of pain. 

Revelation 8 tells us of the 7 trumpets that will sound. For the ancients a trumpet was to warn the community of danger. It made a statement. Get ready. Be prepared. Danger and disaster are on the way. In Revelation, the first 4 trumpets were natural disasters. Natural disasters remind us that life is fragile - life is brief. Are you prepared for the life to come after death? Get ready. 

God in His goodness gives us a taste of what will come after death. There will be no surprises. He’s not trying to scare us. He’s just loving enough to tell us the truth. He’s fair enough to explain reality. Pleasure or pain awaits us. Then He powerfully warns us. Get ready. Be prepared. Choose God. Choose beauty. Choose pleasure. Without God nothing awaits us except for weeping and gnashing of teeth. Choose eternal life with God.