Words Not In God's Vocabulary - Emergency

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb%204:13&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jer%2032:17&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps46:1-3&version=NIV1984

Emergency.  What do you think of when you see or hear the word?  It probably depends on the emergency, doesn’t it?  Most likely we think of an accident in which someone has been seriously injured.  An automobile accident.  An industrial accident.  A fall at home.  Or we might think of someone having a medical emergency.  Such as a heart attack.  Or a stroke.  Or diabetic shock.  Then again, an emergency could be a potentially dangerous situation.  A gunman on the loose.  A natural gas leak.  A severe thunderstorm.  

Emergencies can also consist of something a little more individual.  A teenager who hasn’t come home at night.  And who is not answering their cell phone.  A child who is sick with a very high temperature.  A huge fight between a couple that is threatening to become physical.  Then there are the smaller-scale emergencies.  Forgetting an important business meeting.  Forgetting one’s homework.  Forgetting one’s anniversary!  The fact is that emergencies come in all shapes and sizes - from small to large, from individual to worldwide.

So what does the word emergency imply?  Well I can’t say that I am an authority on this subject but after thinking about it, three words come to mind.  The first is sudden.  Or unexpected.  One moment everything is going great, the next moment it is not.  The second word that I think of is negative.  Emergencies are never good are they?  Certainly emergency situations can have a positive outcome but the fact that there are such things as emergencies in the first place is not good.  The third word I think of in connection with an emergency is out of control.  (OK, so it’s 3 words.  Beat me up already.)  An emergency is something beyond the normal or routine.  It is a situation that needs immediate attention because something is out of control.  The weather.  Someone’s health.  People.  Whatever.

As humans, we are fairly conditioned to emergencies, aren’t we?  At least we are conditioned to the potential for emergencies.  How we handle them is another story.  We live in a day and age of 911 calls.  And Emergency Rooms at every hospital.  We have people such as EMT’s and Law Enforcement personnel who respond quickly to emergencies.  We have Emergency Management Teams.  And the Emergency Broadcast System.  ‘Emergency’ landings.  And every now and then even a ‘state of emergency’.  And every person and family experiences minor emergencies from time to time.  Along with a couple major ones here and there.  The fact is that we are familiar with emergencies.  They happen all the time in our culture.  We never know when or where we are going to be caught up in one.  The reason why is that we are human.

The fact is that ‘emergency’ is not a word in God’s vocabulary.  Figuratively speaking, He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.  There has never been and never will be an emergency in Heaven.  For, as we have seen, emergency implies sudden, negative and out of control, all things which are beyond the scope of God.  The fact is that God has everything in control.  All of the time.  There is never a situation that surprises Him for He knows everything that is going to happen before it happens.  Even such events as the fall of Satan and the fall of humankind into sin were not emergencies.  God already knew they were going to happen.  And He knew what the outcome was going to be.  They were all a part of His plan.  Remember, God is always in control.

So don’t plan on seeing any ‘emergency’ exits in Heaven.  Or phones on which to dial 911.  Or alarm systems.  Or any kind of emergency drills or planning.  Because there will never be an emergency.  Which is good news for us, isn’t it?  While we never know what the next moment may bring, God does.  While we never know how we may respond, God does.  So what may well be an emergency for us is not to Him.  This is good for us to know.  When emergencies strike, God already knows.  It may have surprised us but not Him.  It may overwhelm us but not Him.  It might bring us to the end of our resources but not His.  God is always calm, cool and collected.  He knows exactly what to do in every emergency.  And He has told us (Romans 8:28) that every emergency will work out for our good.

So the next time that you see the word ‘emergency’ realize that it is strictly a human word.  God never experiences them.  And He will be with us in the midst of ours.

Lord, I thank you that you never have an emergency situation to deal with.  Ever.  You have everything under control.  All the time.  Even when emergencies happen in my life You already knew they were coming.  And You have a plan for how they are going to work out.  For my good.  And Your glory.  In Jesus' name, Amen.