January 12, 2000

GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE:
"What's left of the night?"
Isaiah 21:11-12
___"An oracle concerning Edom: Someone calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again."

___Isaiah is writing to the people of his day. Some calamity has come on the area. He already had spoken of the "burden" in other areas and now he

KENNETH FLOWERS Pastor, First Baptist Church, Brownfield

speaks to Edom. As in any trial, they called out: "What of the night?"
___Asking the question twice indicates the difficulty of the struggle. "How much longer can we stand this?" seems to be the question. It appears the nights are longer in the midst of crisis. Someone has said that it's always darkest before the dawn. It reminds us of some of the struggles we face.
___I was awakened just after midnight by the ring of the telephone. It was the nursing home calling to tell me they were taking my mother to the hospital. I quickly dressed and made the hour-long drive to be by her side. In the emergency room, she took my hand and said: "Just let me die. I feel so bad." My response was: "Mother, I love you." She squeezed my hand. They came to move her to intensive care.
___A nurse came to the waiting room door to inquire if I would like to come in and see my mother. We made our way down a long, dimly lit hallway to a row of beds separated by drawn sheets. I sat by my mother's bed with my hand on hers. There was no response. Through the long night, I watched the monitors wondering, "How long?"
___The hours passed slowly. It was early dawn when I thought I could hear a choir singing. I know that it was in my mind, but I could clearly hear the words, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place."
___I was startled by the sound coming from the monitors. A nurse came rushing in. Mother had gone home! The Lord's presence was in that place.
___How often this scene is played over and over in the lives of people. The struggle of life is often hard and the night seems long, but morning comes!
___Isaiah's Watchman's response was, "The morning comes, and also the night!" What a promise! There is hope in the midst of trial, but other trials will come.
___The Watchman said: "If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again." It's OK to ask of God when trouble comes. His invitation is still open. He is always ready to listen to our prayers. It is only when we allow the presence of the Lord to be with us all the time that we have peace in the midst of storm. You can trust him!
___"Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).



Previous Columns: 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, 8/25, 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20 10/27, 11/17, 11/24, 12/1,12/15, 12/1,1/5.

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