Monday, March 4, 2013

A Siren's Warning


It was  Joel's first call after ordination~ to a small town of 400 on the Northeast Montana prairie.  The parsonage was across the street from one of the churches in the three-point parish, and we settled quickly into the ranch home with plenty of space for our family of six at the time.

We lived only one block off the main street and only a half block from the volunteer fire station.  We had been there for only a short while when our first encounter with the nearby fire siren had us all up and out of bed in the middle of the night. As it screamed it's warning and call for volunteers across the town, we tried to calm our kids and assure them this would not happen very often. After all, how many fires can there be in a small town?  Apparently quite a few!  Besides the usual house and grass fires, one or two cars caught on fire in the winter including one of our own!  Add to that the serious problem with someone in the town setting fires, and we grew to expect the siren and it's warning.

Joel soon surrendered to the siren's beckoning and decided to join the fire department as a volunteer.  I think he helped fight a dozen fires during the three years we lived there.  He became a great respecter of fire and the power it has to destroy everything in it's path. 

Sirens were created to protect the people.  Some forewarn us of what is coming, others to tell us something is happening. We know to heed these warnings or suffer the consequences.

So how about in the spiritual world?  We know Satan prowls around like a hungry lion seeking whom he can devour.....which is not much different from a fire because we know that we are attacked (in body and soul ) by the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Wouldn't it be great if there was a loud siren going off to warn us of impending danger from the enemy?  Unfortunately, he is often subtle and sneaky.  He is the great deceiver!

God has given us tools to keep us on alert to the enemy's destructive ways.  I expect, besides our conscious, it is the Holy Spirit that provides us with what we need, telling us right from wrong, giving us a sense of "danger" and directing us in God's Word.  The Bible tells us we have many weapons to fight the enemy.  The full armor of God, praise, speaking scripture, and prayer.  These weapons are important for our journey through life, but I still wish a siren would go off when the enemy is going to attack!  It would be so much easier wouldn't it, and yet, God has given us the living power of Jesus.  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in us, and when we ask and we listen, those siren bells will become louder and louder.  And most of the time, when the warnings come, we will not be jumping out of bed in the middle of the night either!

Grateful today for the still small voice inside that warns me of danger.  Grateful for the voice behind that tells me whether to go to the right or to the left.  Grateful for the knowledge that the devil roars like a lion, but has little he can do without our consent.  Grateful for healing that comes in all forms.

4 comments:

Jennifer Dougan said...

Hi,

Nice to meet you. I'm hopping over from Ann's link up.

It was fun to read of your husband's early years of ministry here, and to see the analogy of the warning sirens too. My prayer is that I would continue to hear and heed those warnings all the more in my life. He is a tender, loving God, isn't he? :)

have a great day,
Jennifer Dougan
www.jenniferdougan.com

Renee said...

Thank you for coming by Jennifer. Appreciate your comment very much!

Kim said...

Renee, I love all of your posts, but this is one of my favorites! I love the look into your lives as a ministry couple and also the comparison you draw between that situation and our walk with Christ. Love, love, love it.

Renee said...

Thank you Kim...you are always so encouraging. Praying you are doing well friend.