By Rich Edison | October 12, 2019
I had a wonderful time Monday night with my daughter, Rishana, watching the Yankees whip the Mariners once again. This has become an annual tradition for us, our father-daughter day at the ballpark, and every time we’ve gone, the Yankees have won. If we could only go to every game, the Yankees would never lose!
Being a Yankees’ fan in Seattle is pretty easy. Sometimes it seems there are more people wearing Yankees jerseys and hats then Mariners’, but it may be that I just notice them more. I do know this—our section in the right field stands was packed with Yankees’ fans and we were having a party!
I felt a little bad for the father and son sitting in front of us, however. When the Yankees took an early lead in the second inning, our whole section erupted with chants of “Let’s go, Yankees!” Undeterred, the father, a staunch Mariners’ fan, shouted back, “Let’s go Mariners!” only to be drowned out by the Yankees fans around him. Finally, he sat down, and said to his son, “It’s going to be a long night!”
I know how that father felt. Sometimes it’s not easy being an Adventist Christian in this world. It often feels like we’re outnumbered, our feeble attempts to share the Good News of God’s love overwhelmed by the deafening roar of those who seem determined to cheer evil on, spreading hatred and discord, intolerance and strife. In the face of this kind of opposition, it is tempting to just hunker down and endure the night till the day dawns.
But we cannot do this, for this is not a game. This isn’t just a contest between two teams of overpaid athletes. It is a battle between the dragon and the Lamb, between the Prince of Peace and the prince of this world. Souls are at risk. There is a world to be warned and we must not be silent.
Like that loyal Mariners’ fan at Monday night’s game we must raise our voices despite those who would drown us out. We must obey God’s command in Isaiah 58:1 to “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.” We must, like Joshua of old, “Be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1:9). We must “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2).
My friends, we are in the ninth and last inning of earth’s history! There will be no extra innings, for “the time of the end...will still come at the appointed time.” (Daniel 11:35). “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” It is time for we, God’s greatest fans, to raise our voices in the stadiums and on street corners, in the mansions and hovels, in every corner of this world, telling everyone we meet, the Good News—Jesus is coming soon!
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Rich Edison is a writer, speaker, and Physician Assistant, who, whether he is working with patients, speaking in public, or writing for his blog, EncouragingWordsforToday.com, strives to daily bring a little hope, inspire positive change, and point people to Jesus.