Be Prepared

I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.     —Psalm 16:8 (NLT)

Without warning tragedy sudden occurs. One of two things happen. You either crumble to pieces or you hold yourself together leaning on God’s strength. You can never be ready for a sudden crisis, but you can be prepared for it. You are prepared if you live each day in His presence—if you pray and grow in His grace. When that crisis happens, you can just breathe His name, and He becomes what you alone are incapable of being—strong and decisive. With a clear mind and a protected heart, you can face whatever you need to face.

Years ago Pat and I attended a marriage conference in Atlanta. I don’t remember all the small details of what I’m about to share with you, but I remember the message that I received.  The speaker suddenly was called to the side, and he returned to the podium to tell us that his life had just been threatened. He wanted us to know in case anyone wanted to leave. Along with many others, we stayed and heard a story of a faith in God’s love that has forever shaped my determination to draw closer each day to Him.

The speaker at the conference had recently counseled a couple who intended to be married. He saw some tendencies in the young man that bothered him greatly, and he did something he had never done before. He privately advised the young woman not to marry this man at this time. She took his advice and broke of the relationship. This evening of the conference the man broke into the home of the young woman in a horrible rage.

The mother of the young woman was in the living room, and hit the floor when she heard him come into the house. Under her breath, she whispered “Jesus,” again and again. While she hovered on the floor, she heard this man rampaging through her home seeking her daughter. She heard her husband speak to him, and then after what seemed like an eternity, she heard a gun go off.

She later learned that while she was on the floor praying, the young man had attempted to injure the girl’s father, and then kept on hunting until he found the daughter. Within inches of her, he aimed the gun at the front of her head, and pulled the trigger. And the bullet proceeded to circumvent the daughter’s head, grazing her skin as it began its journey from her temple to the back of her head without penetrating her brain.

The speaker at the conference said the young man had run away after he could not kill the young woman. She had heard him threaten the speaker at the conference—the counselor who had told her not to marry him. So the police waited to catch him, and they finally did. But while we waited that evening, the speaker explained the power of the mother’s faith in God. She had a great faith because she knew the Lord was always her, strengthening her as she lay on the floor praying. He was right there when she called his name because she had a deep intimate relationship with Him. She was not shaken. She was prepared for this moment. The next morning at a church in Atlanta, Pat and I heard this family speak of their ordeal, and the mother’s faith that trusted in the Lord.

The lesson I learned that night was to always be prepared in season and out of season. You have trouble calling on someone you don’t know very well for help. You have trouble believing in His provision for your care. He is beside you—waiting to have an intimate relationship with you. He is right beside you. Allow Him to prepare your heart for life. Seek Him, and discover the faith that this mother had. Nothing that comes against you, will destroy you.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2018/08/be-prepared.html