What is your response?

Picture the scene:

You have just been told that your actions will cause the death and disposition of the generations ahead of you as well as the destruction of the land in which you live.

What would your response be?

Remorse? Shock? Would you try and set about making a change? Try and stop this from happening? This was the situation that King Hezekiah of Judah faced in 2 Kings 20:12-19 after showing the Babylonians around his Kingdom. He had just put his country in jeopardy, and the prophet Isaiah had come with the news from God that this would have catastrophic implications for the future of his Kingdom. So what is Hezekiah's response to this?

"The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!" For he said "Will there not be peace and truth at least my days?" (2 Kings 20:19 NKJ)

I'm sorry! Did I read that correctly? It sounds as if Hezekiah is pleased with this news!?! Did he not understand what the prophet had said? Well, it seems that he did, but the reason for his joy was that ultimately this news did not affect him. He would be dead before any of the predicted calamity began. So selfish, so narrow minded, yet not too dissimilar to our attitude toward the future ahead of us.

Unless you have been stuck in a nuclear bunker with just re-runs of Fawlty Towers to watch, you will probably be aware that we, the human race, are destroying the planet that we currently live on. Raw materials are being exhausted at a rapid rate, rain forests are being cut down creating deserts, the ice caps are melting as a result of the warming of the Globe, animals are dieing out, we are using more water than can be replaced and so on.

What is our response to this?

Does this disturb you or is it just something you don't think about because it doesn't really affect you? Does it concern you that the way we are living now will have serious affects on our children and their children and (if they make it) their children? We clearly can't go on living in the way that we are at this present time. A lot of the responsibility for change does fall on the shoulders of the big corporations and governments who are exploiting the planet for their own benefit, but we also have a vital part to play in this. Recycle, walk instead of using your car to go to the corner shop, turn off the tap while you are brushing your teeth, turn off the light when you leave a room, turn your heating down 1 degree, write to your local MP and ask them what they plan to do, lobby parliament, raise awareness in your community. If your not aware of any of this, do some research. Ignorance is no longer an excuse!

How does God feel about this? Have we even asked Him? Let us start to take care of the planet that God has given us, not necessarily for ourselves, but for those who will come after us. Don't leave it to someone else. Don't be like Hezekiah.

What is your response going to be?