Saturday, June 22, 2013

Can we escape?


In the last words of the 20th chapter of the ancient prophet, Isaiah, asks this penetrating question,

“How then can we escape?” (Isaiah 20:6)

The context of this question is the terrible destruction that is to fall on the countries of Cush (Ethiopia?) and Egypt. Some people seeking to escape the onslaught of the destruction fled to the coastlands, lived in obscurity and carved out an existence from the ocean and fertile lands created when rivers meet oceans. In the end even their attempts to flee the coming hoards of invading, judging armies is in vain.

It seems possible for a while to escape the world around us. Our lives seem untouched by the rollercoaster ride of the economy, to the vicissitudes of political change, and to torrents of natural disasters. Then one day we find ourselves saying, “How then can we escape?” It is here that people of faith understand that coastlands are no guarantee of safety; there is only one place to go to: the cleft of the Rock. – Ron Friesen

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