“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” — Matthew 24:42
You may have read a sad story in the news last week. A man shot at a woman, and the police then killed him (as of this writing, the details are still under investigation). But this happened a few miles from my house. Where this terrible story intersects my life (and your inbox) is that soon after the shooting, a police helicopter started circling the area and woke me up.
I am definitely not used to a helicopter flying over our neighborhood. It was undoubtedly an alarming way to wake up. Also, my wife slept through this whole thing (for the record). As I lay in bed listening to the helicopter overhead, I guessed it was a police situation (I didn’t know about the above details of the story). So, I thought perhaps the police were looking for someone.
Be Prepared
With this in mind, I prayed that God would help the police and protect my family. Next, I reminded myself that I had locked all the doors and armed the alarm before I took my favorite cbd gummies for sleep and went to bed (my nightly routine). I got out of bed and checked the windows. Finally, I checked that my self-defense weapon was close at hand. The whole time, the police helicopter circled above. Naturally, I was wide awake (for the record).
As you can see, I coped with this stressful situation in two ways: my prayers to God and my preparation. Imagine if I thought God wouldn’t help us or if I hadn’t locked my door or set the alarm.
In the above passage, Jesus is teaching us to live a life of prayerful preparation for His return. To illustrate, He even compares His return to a thief in the night. Are you spiritually alert to what is happening around you? Equally important, are you praying? And ultimately, are you prepared for His return?
Stay awake, Church!
Posted in A Word from the Pastor