"Worry Not about What’s Next, but be Prepared for It"

Life as we have known it may come to an end in the not too distant future.  I believe that soon—though not necessarily immediately—many of the ways in which we have lived our lives will no longer be an option for us.  Jesus promised that such things would happen, and He urged us to take heart in Him when they do because He had overcome the world.  I urge you to take Him up on His promises and to take heart by placing your precious faith in Him.  I urge you, also, to lay at His Feet the rampant selfish ways of living that have plagued your heart, your life, and your relationships for so long.  (Just so you know, I am casting myself at His Feet right along with you...right here, right now.)

In times of distress, it is those who recognize their need for God that seem to fair the best…maybe not so much outwardly, but inwardly.  And this is the preparedness that I wish to urge you to pursue.  Seek the Heart of your Master, Jesus, and settle for nothing less than thinking His Thoughts and feeling His Feelings…for and about you and those around you.  On my birthday, a little over a year ago, I heard God speak into my very soul, and this is what I heard:   "Dave...today is the first day of the rest of your life.  I want you to make me your heart's desire, and I want you to pursue me like you never have before."  Ever since that night, I have prayed nearly every day (and, sometimes, multiple times throughout the day):  “Father, today is the first day of the rest of my life.  I want to make You my heart’s desire, and I want to pursue You like I never have before.  Help me, Lord, to do these very things.”  I urge you, my friends, to begin to pray in similar ways.

While I do not wish to speak of doom and gloom, I feel compelled to write that things around us may become a little dicey in the next few years.  When those days of trouble come—and they will (for they always do eventually)—may we  look unto Jesus, the One Who alone is Our Refuge and Ever-Present-Help in the midst of such times.  Our best preparations for life, be it for times of difficulty, times of peace, or times that fall somewhere in between, are the offerings of the brokenness of our hearts to Jesus and the expressions of our genuine desire to be where He is and to be around that which He is blessing.  For THAT place—that hallowed ground of being where He is—is, my friends, the safest, happiest, most fruitful place on earth.

I wish to leave you with a passage from Scripture that has meant so much to me down through the years.  I urge you to commit it to memory and then to meditate on it as often as it comes to mind.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and to seek Him in His temple.

For in the day of trouble, He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies that surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

—Psalm 27:1-6 (NIV)

Sing and make music to the Lord, my friends, and dine in the presence of your enemies.

Prayers falling your way…like snow,

Daver