A Hole of Thunder: What is Truth? Part 2
It was Sunday, August 23, 2009. A fierce Hurricane, Hurricane Bill, pounded the
coast of Mount Desert Island, in the state of Maine. Despite the inclement
conditions, tourists came in droves to hear the resounding BOOMS that
reverberated from Thunder Hole.
Thunder Cove is a small cove, naturally carved out of rock. At the end of this
cove, down at the low tide mark, a small cavern can be found. When waves rush
it, the air and water in the cavern are forced out with a loud BOOM, sounding
much like the peal of distant thunder. Given the correct weather conditions, the
water can spout up from the cavern, sometimes reaching a height of 40 feet.
And Hurricane Bill brought together just the correct conditions for the loudest
booms and the highest spouts of water.
Warning signs were posted everywhere, counseling tourists to stay away from
Thunder Hole in these conditions. Not everyone was inclined to listen to these
warnings however, and many tourists could be found at the lower end of the
lookout where you could best see and hear the water clapping through the cavern.
And with so many people already down there, it only encouraged more tourists to
ignore the warnings. After all, how could all of those people be wrong?
That is what a certain father with his two girls thought. Until
he and his two girls
were swept over the rail, that is, out into the stormy Atlantic Ocean.
In the icy water, the father and the girls battled for their lives. They were eventually
rescued by the courageous Coast Guard, however the seven-year
old later died from
the trauma.
If only they hadn't followed the crowd!
I know of one whose specializes in lies. He carves his lies so cleverly around
half-truths that many fall prey to his insinuations. Sadly, most of the world
believes his lies rather than the One who is called "the truth"!
"He (The evil one) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for
he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44 NIV)
His lies have only one goal: "The thief (The evil one) comes only to steal and
kill and destroy." (John 10:10 NIV)
The truth is that "no lie comes from the truth." (1 John 2:21 NIV) If a truth is
even compromised in the tiniest way, it is no longer truth! However, more often
than not, we simply bury our heads in the sand and accept his lies as truth.
Many "suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Rom 1:18 NIV) by their actions,
and because of this they cannot fathom the reality of God's Holy Spirit in their
midst.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with
you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither
sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in
you." (John 14:16-17 NIV)
And if they cannot accept God's Spirit, they won't be able to accept His Word
either!
We cannot, I repeat, we cannot flirt with lies without being contaminated by
them. It will change our perspective on life, and it will lead us to live a life
grounded on untruth.
Many so-called specialists in religion also specialize in lies. If we do not
stand by the truth, we will find ourselves easily swept in the churning ocean!
The apostles warned us about these liars:
"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do
not live by the truth." (1 John 1:6 NIV)
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us." (1 John 1:8 NIV)
"The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and
the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:4 NIV)
"Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ." (1 John
2:22 NIV)
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the
grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel
at all." (Gal 1:6-7 NIV)
We either stand on the truth, or we let ourselves be swept away by deception.
It sure looks tempting to hear the loud clap of thunder amidst the stormy
elements, but in all reality, is it worth risking our lives?
Rob Chaffart
