Someday is sooner than you think

“therefore calamity will come upon him [the wicked man] suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.”
-Proverbs 6:15

There have been times when I thought my life was broken beyond the ability of anyone to fix. Mostly, I have these moments because I am seeing so narrowly that I can’t recognize that things can change, and probably will change within the next hour or so.

I get these moments sometimes when arguing with my wife. I’ll all at once forget how really great our marriage has been, and I just despair. It’s silly, and it’s selfish and childish.

I had some health problems (which turned out to be very minor) a couple of years back and thought the same thing – this is it! It’s over. Not even close. I had exaggerated thing in my own head so much and blown everything out of proportion.

But one day, it’s really going to end. One day, it will be over.

As much as we worry about every little thing in our lives, it is often hard to even fathom that. One day, life will be done.

In this life, we cannot count on justice. It’s not always going to be true that the bad guy is caught and locked up, and that the good guy is going to succeed. It doesn’t always happen like that. That frustrates us. It frustrates me quite a bit. And when Solomon tells us that the wicked man is going to face calamity, we want to believe that, but we don’t.

Except for that one day that we don’t really want to think about. Except for that one day when we die.

Solomon is pointing here to a greater judge than merely human courts. Solomon is pointing to a court where the decisions are final, where the rulings include no leeway. He is pointing to a time where it’s too late for healing, for repentance, and for mercy. It will be a time where you’ve run out of second chances.

And he’s talking about you. In the previous verses, he describes this wicked man as simply one who is deceptive and self-centered. He’s not talking about some murderer; he’s talking about us.

One day, we will all stand before God to answer for our thoughts, words, and deeds. We will have to answer for every lustful thought, every moment of greed, and every unkind word. We will have to answer for every lie, every blasphemy, and every time we coveted something that wasn’t ours.

But there is good news. It is true that will be a time where there will be no further healing, but that time is not here yet. On that day, there will be no further mercy, but that day is not here yet. There is still time to turn away from sin, repent to God for our wickedness, and ask His forgiveness.

Forgiveness is possible. It’s possible because of Jesus’ death on the Cross. When He died, He took the punishment we had earned for our sins. He took our place in death. If we believe in Him, we can be saved.

Don’t wait until it is too late. That day will come. Be ready for it.