Luke chapter 12 verses 54-57 (NIV)
He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?”
I’m sure we have all done it – looked at the sky and chanted. “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight!” I think us scots in particular become adept at speculating on the weather. There is so much going on in the world right now that Jesus’ words to the crowd here are indeed very current. A quick trawl of the internet will show us a wide variety of opinions, sometimes at odds with one another, yet all claiming to interpret the signs of the times.
As Christ’s ambassadors, now more than ever, we need to be careful to judge what is right and act accordingly because many will be watching how the wider church will respond in these times. We need to stick close to God and allow the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us. It would be easy to speculate and judge but we must do so correctly. The good thing is that if we are uncertain we can go direct to God in prayer for His guidance. If we seek Him first, rather than the opinion of others, He will not let us go wrong.
Dear Lord,
Thank You that we can ask for wisdom and grace so that we can walk correctly in turbulent times and if we do that we will not wander down a wrong road. Thank You that in the midst of speculation, You are in control and know what’s going on. Thank You that You want us to stand on that. May I do just that. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.