At a hospital, every monitor has some kind of alarm. As machines are disconnected, fluids run out or actual emergencies occur, many alarms are going off throughout the day. Visitors at first may be shocked, but long-term visitors, seeing that most beeps and alarms are routine, can become a bit complacent. Hopefully the staff will stay alert and do what is needed. But a malfunctioning machine can easily be ignored, like the boy who cried wolf.

The Bible also gives warnings that can become old to those who have heard them for many years. But we must keep the perspective that Paul talked about in Romans 13:11: "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."

God's warnings are never routine and are always real. But they don't always happen according to our time frame. God’s warnings call for urgency and endurance. Stay alert to God's alarms.