i told you so
“Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants, the prophets.” —Amos 3:7
Every good and bad thing that has ever happened God told us about ahead of time (Am 3:7). Yet we were surprised by world wars, the Third Reich, abortion, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and so many other catastrophes. We refused to listen to the prophets that the Father in His loving mercy sent “early and often” to warn us of evil (2 Chr 36:15). Usually prophets tell us to repent before it’s too late. Nonetheless, we refuse to return to Him, so we are dealt with accordingly (Am 4:11-12).
Right now, the storms of next month and next year are brewing. The prophets are warning us. “Let him who has ears heed the Spirit’s word to the churches!” (Rv 2:7) God does not want to surprise us, but to prepare us. However, if we insist on being deafened by the world and blinded by sin, we doom ourselves to devastating surprises.
Let’s repent of living independently of God’s warnings and declare our total dependence upon the Lord. Let’s turn to the Lord now, before the catastrophe rather than afterward. If we had only listened to God, how many soldiers, Jews, babies, and innocent people would have been spared the bloodbath of our time. Jesus says: “If only you had known the path to peace this day; but you have completely lost it from view!” (Lk 19:42)
Prayer: Jesus, I repent of stifling the Spirit and despising prophecy by ignoring it (1 Thes 5:19-20).
Promise: “Then He stood up and took the winds and the sea to task. Complete calm ensued; the men were dumbfounded.”
Praise: In 64 AD, the Great Fire of Rome devastated the city. Emperor Nero, truly a villain of antiquity, blamed the fledgling Christian Church. The First Martyrs of Rome paid the ultimate price, but held firm in the faith as an example for all Christians to come.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from August 1, through September 30, 2020. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio October 1, 2019"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.