Suddenly panic seized me. Where is my child? Frantically, I scanned the crowd. My heart began throbbing in my ears even as the sound of the train engine drew closer. I darted across the tracks, and hurried down another small tunnel—an inviting place for a curious child. My voice seemed foreign and faraway as I called my child’s name again and again. The pounding in my chest overwhelmed all other noise. But I knew the train had arrived. I heard the loud hiss of brakes as it rolled to a stop in the tunnel. It would only be a matter of minutes before it was on its way again.
Urgently, I called to my child. Where are you? Come back! Please come back! Sobs caught in my throat. All that lay before me in the small cave-like enclosure was emptiness. It enveloped me; loss settled in the core of my being.
That’s when I awoke. It was only a dream. Yet I still felt a deep, ominous ache just below my ribcage. It hurt physically. I remember that feeling from somewhere in my past. Miscarriage. The death of a child. I never thought I would lose that feeling, but as years passed, I had. The Lord had brought healing little by little…in spite of how hard I had fought it, wanting to never lose the only thing I had left of that child, even if it were only the grief.
As with other dreams that affect me so deeply, I looked for God in it. What in the world was that about? I asked. Slowly, the eternal analogy dawned on me.
Oh, Father! I sobbed out in my spirit. Please, Lord, don’t allow me to feel this loss for eternity. I can handle losing a child in this life as long as I know we will be reunited in eternity, but Lord, I could never survive an eternal separation. The pain is too great to bear.
I KNOW, He seemed to respond as scripture popped into my mind.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A8-10&version=MSG&src=embed2 Peter 3:8-10 (The Message)
The Day the Sky Will Collapse
Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change.
But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.
I KNOW.
Father God, open our eyes to see with Your eyes. May our hearts beat with Your heart. Eternal loss is too great to bear. Holy Spirit, You have empowered us to be workers in the harvest. Help us to not be lax concerning Your return, O God. May we be ready, waiting, and holding the hands of Your children so that not one will miss the train. Show us how to do our part to prepare ourselves and others for Your return.