The Day Of The Lord

I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing before the throne … the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books… whoever did not have his name in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 20: 12, 15

The day of the Lord, most righteous King of Kings, is at hand:
a day of anger and vindication, of darkness and of cloud
a day of wonderful mighty thunders
a day also of distress, of sorrow and of sadness
in which the love and desire of women will cease
and the striving of men and the desire of this world.

We shall stand trembling before the Lord’s judgement seat
and we shall render an account of all our deeds
seeing also our crimes placed before our gaze
and the books of conscience thrown open before us.
Columba. Altus prosator

Fierce winter winds seem like an onslaught. Everything that is not secure and in place is swept away: loose tiles from the roof, stray items left lying around. Yet what seems an enemy is in truth a good thing. Winds remind us that we are mortal, that things need to be put in place and made secure. This is even more true of eternal things. The idea of God’s judgement can seem pitiless: in truth it is all mercy. God longs for us to be right, to be true, for things to be in place in our lives, so that we can endure and live with him in the world that is indestructible.

Holy God, holy and mighty,
strip from me all that is false and out of place
strengthen my roots in you
bring me to that place
where I desire you alone.