THE WATCHMAN

By: M.E. Townsend

The Presence of the LORD surrounded the young man, his heart pounded in his ears as he heard the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking; Spirit to spirit, deep within his soul:

“Be still and know that I am God!”

Shaken, Willis paused and wondered; but there was no time, friends were waiting:

“Tomorrow Lord, I promise. Tomorrow.”

Hurriedly, he closed his Bible, buried it deep inside his backpack, and rushed out of the library toward the waiting car. Ignoring the nagging guilt gnawing in the pit of his stomach, he slid into the back seat:

“Tomorrow Lord, I promise. Tomorrow.”

The car sped toward Route 618 and The Lighthouse Bar, leaving behind a cloud of dust, gravel and guilt.

His nose pressed against the window, the smell of stale tobacco and alcohol permeating the air, the watchman scanned the smoke filled room – his eyes at last coming to rest on Willis. Sent by the Almighty to watch over this new child of the King since his rebirth in Jesus the Christ four months earlier, the watchman had been faithful in his task, but it had not been easy:

“How can it be? How can one neglect so great a salvation?”

Late into the night, the watchman stood and watched, waited and wondered. The Truth of God’s Word spilling out into the vast darkness of the night ~

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things
which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every
transgression and disobedience received a just recompence
of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation..."
[Hebrews 2:1-3]

The following morning the watchman moved silently through the mourners standing vigil near Route 618 – once again the watchman wondered how man could not know or understand that:

“There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the
spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death...” [Ecclesiastes 8:8]

Headlines in the Falls Creek Gazette had shaken the college to its core:

“College students lose life in deadly automobile accident on Route 618. Dead at the scene were 23 year-old Jake Mitchell, 21 year-old Molly Jacobs and Willis Haskell age 19.”

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?
It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away .” [James 4:14]

Salvation does not come by repeating a prayer or asking Jesus into your heart.
Man is not saved by signing a card or joining a church. Salvation comes when
we hate our sin as much as God hates our sin, when we love God as much as we
once loved the world and the things of the world.

Salvation comes when in our brokenness we fall on our face before a Holy God, recognizing our sinfulness, recognizing His Holiness and ask:

“My God, What have I done?”

Then, and only then, will we begin our walk of faith and obedience with the LORD. Anything else is only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.