What the H_ _ _ is Going On?

DISCLAIMER: I hope you don't find my title offensive, but I find Hell offensive, and therefore, could not address the topic any other way. The Lord laid this on my heart this week, and I had to obey Him. Please know that my mother raised me well and has washed my mouth out with soap for words you'd laugh at! I hope you'll read on to see that it is a taste of Hell that has made me long even more for the feast of Heaven!

Death. Destruction. Devastation. Fear. Pain. Separation. Sorrow. Tears. Hell on Earth. These words are just a few that come to mind as I reflect over the events of the last couple of weeks. I have shared these feelings with my family members as we received news of the shocking murder of my father's sister, my Aunt Marcia. Within our church family we have all felt this burden in the last week even more heavily as many lives were shaken by the effects of record-breaking tornadoes. Many have experienced extreme loss. We are grieving with our sister and brothers, Kathy, Paul and Bradley at the homegoing of Amy. These events have stirred us deep within. We have tasted Hell, and it leaves us preferring the taste of soap.

The prophet, Joel says, "...Indeed, the Day of the LORD is terrible and dreadful who can endure it? (Joel 2:11b)" If you have felt the depths of despair, as I have, then you know in a small way what Hell will be like for eternity. Often, we talk about the blessings in life that leave us with a little taste of Heaven. But it is a call to repentance and urgency that we must also experience tastes of Hell.

My heart is heavy, as many of yours, and as the people to whom Joel prophesied. I encourage you to read the book of Joel today. It's only three chapters tucked in between Hosea and Amos. The people had experienced great loss. Joel pointed out to them that their devastation was just a glimpse of what the day of the Lord would be like. He calls them to repentance, and then he tells them about God's great desire to restore, heal and shower with blessings. You will LOVE chapter 2 especially!

I like what one teenager wrote on his Facebook wall this week: "We might not have electricity, but we still have Power." Oh that we might grasp, as this young man did, that though we grieve, we still have hope in the One whom even the wind and waves obey (Luke 8:25).

I hope now you see that the only way to understand what is going on around us, is to acknowledge that it is, indeed, a taste of Hell. May these events draw you to your Maker, urge you to tell others and stir within a deeper longing to be with Him in Heaven!


~Rebecca Phillips