The Waiting Game

“Hurry up and wait!” I heard that often enough during my years of military service. Waiting was as difficult as busy work, which was meaningless toil, drudgery, to prevent just sitting around waiting. There are other sorts of waiting, too. School kids “wait” for the bell to ring during last period so they can zip out the door to freedom. A parent waits late into the night for his or her teenager to return home from a date. And there’s the waiting of a Believer, a Follower of Y’shuaJesus, waiting for the Trumpet to call us to be with the Lord.

Waiting’s hard work. While driving truck, after delivering a load I often had to wait for another assignment. It could come at any time, too. Depending where I was, I might be able grab a quick shower at a truck stop that was close to where I delivered. Or perhaps grab a meal, if convenient. More often, I simply parked in the parking lot outside the plant to which I’d delivered and waited. I tried to read, but would find myself looking often and anxious at the Qualcom, the communications system on which I’d get a load assignment. It was hard to relax between loads unless I knew I had a set amount of time. Once, after delivering a load south of Dallas, Texas, I pulled into a dirt lot next to a restaurant, and went in for a meal. Every fifteen minutes I’d go out and check to see if a message arrived on the Qualcom. I was there about a couple of hours when I received a telephone call from the dispatcher asking why I hadn’t responded to the dispatch message. I went immediately out to the truck, but there was nothing there. He had to verbally dispatched me to a steel plant for a load going into Georgia. Not a bad run, but one I almost missed if I hadn’t had a cell phone with me. I took another twenty minutes or so after pulling out of the parking lot to receive the written dispatch on the Qualcom. Perhaps the metal building walls reflected the satellite signals, preventing me from receiving the dispatch. I don’t know.

Waiting is hard work. It is also a dangerous time; it is a time when we can be distracted and wander off in some other direction. There’s a story that Y’shuaJesus told about the maidens that fell asleep, letting their lamps go out. And in Luke chapter 12, after Y’shuaJesus talks about laying up treasure in Heaven, He talks about what to do while playing the waiting game.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Luke 12:35-40

Matthew Henry commented on this scripture that Y’shuaJesus, “charges them to get ready, and to keep in a readiness for Christ’s coming, when all those who have laid up their treasure in heaven shall enter upon the enjoyment of it.” So there are two elements, according to Mr. Henry, in this waiting game. First, get ready; second, stay ready. That means waiting is active. It isn’t just standing around. Sometimes we are likened to servants whose master has gone away. Picture a servant standing by the door awaiting his master, doing nothing, just waiting. Probably not the best way to wait, I’m thinking.

So it seems there is good waiting and poor waiting. I’m on the poor side of waiting a lot of the time, especially when it comes to cooking. Even with a timer set, I’ll often just stand watching, waiting for the timer. In some of my best moments in the kitchen, I’ve put a pot of water on the heat, and while waiting for it to boil, done other things in the kitchen, or in the laundry room next to it. I’ve gotten distracted, too. I’ve left a pot to boil until nearly dry, and once totally ruined a batch of steamed vegetables.

Additionally, playing this waiting game takes balance and awareness. I’m thinking of when Y’shuaJesus went into the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was too busy to sit with Y’shua while Mary did only sit with Him. Y’shua said Mary picked the best of the two extremes. Y’shua hasn’t come into our house physically yet, so perhaps we need to be active while at the same time foster the spiritual communion with our Lord that He desires. But is our activity just busy work. What we do, is it necessary? Or is just something to fill the space between other things? Back to the kitchen. Perhaps when there is two minutes to wait for some vegetables to steam, it’s okay not to always have to be doing something. Perhaps standing in front of the stove is okay, and using that very moment to consider the One for Whom we wait to return. We can offer words of Praise, offering hearts of Worship, and we can offer prayers.

Occupying my waiting time then is a balance of activity that is purposeful, balanced with the spiritually uplifting elements of Praise, Worship, Prayer. And in all this activity, in all that I do, all must be done as to the Lord.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. . .

Colossians 3:23

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Change of Pace or “I thought it was going to be fun.”

This morning I’m in Tennessee. Manchester, Tennessee, to be exact. I’m having complimentary breakfast at a motel. There are 532 people in town this morning for “Warrior Dash.” Here in the dining room, the run/obstacle course is the common topic of most that are sitting at the tables. The conversations extend between tables, between people who don’t know one another. They are all here for one thing: to challenge themselves in the ultimate marathon.

One man, sitting near me, says he ran the course in Georgia last winter. He said it nearly killed him. He’s a runner, but he didn’t train for fifteen foot walls, pools of deep, ice-cold water, and mud holes that had to be negotiated to complete the run. He said he’d get cold, then run and get warm, only to dive in icy water or crawl through cold mud under wire. It takes a warrior to complete this run. One thing stands out to me in hearing the conversations. Old, young, they all seem to be comrades in a common goal. Yes, there are “winners.” Yet they talk of how they work together to just complete the course. They talk as if they will all be winners just to complete the run. Wow!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1Corinthians 9:24-27

No, I’m not making the run this year. Perhaps, Lord willing, my knees will one day be in shape enough to try one. It’s my son, and a friend, who will run this event today. They are on the wrestling team in their high school. Their coaches inspired them to try this out. They looked at videos of past events and thought it would be “fun.” That’s what my son said after crashing his tricycle when he was three years ole. I didn’t remind him that through his tears, he’d said, “I thought it was going to be fun!”

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Ready and Awake

On Monday, I used a scripture from Peter’s first letter (1Peter 1:13). I cited it while writing about the business of last week, how we are getting the most out of Summer, preparing for school to resume. It was my boy that mentioned cramming lots of stuff into the short remaining days. I told him that come next Monday he’d have to put on his thinking cap, get his pen fingers ready, and sharpen his eyes, for his primary mission resumes: his studies. He’ll need to put out of his head the activities of summer. I need him to get ready for school, so that he can concentrate on his school work.

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1Peter 1:13

“Gird up your loins. . .” Funny statement in Western society, isn’t it? Some years ago, in Sri Lanka, I had one of those moments when I understood what it meant. A few men readied themselves as laborers on a road repair job. The wraps that surround their legs would be in the way, so they gather them beneath their loins, add a knot, and they are ready to move about the site without the long material obstructing their legs. They girded up their loins. They made themselves ready.

My son needs to gird up his loins, too. He’s already bought his books, and has a book bag ready to go. There will be a few more things to do, but he’s nearly ready. And we need to gird up our loins, too. Winter comes upon us quickly now. There’s the physical aspect that means we’ll prepare the garden to last the winter months. When I lived up in the mountains between Arizona and New Mexico, I would be gathering dead and down wood in the forest, getting ready to heat the house during the cold winters.

What about our spiritual loins? Ready our minds for action. Continually turn over the soil of our hearts so that we are fresh to receive from our Lord. We cultivate our relationship through our mindfulness of Him. In the morning when we arise, the cares of the day present themselves, and our task, our duty, isn’t necessarily to push those thoughts away, but to find Y’shuaJesus’s Word and Way, allowing Him to be in the forefront. It is our obligation as Children of the Most High G-d. It isn’t just about a life of prayer; it’s about a life in Messiah. We bring Messiah into all things. We involve Him in all things, even the mundane tasks that we dread. We include Messiah Y’shuaJesus. We abide in Him and He abides in us. Thank You, Lord!

And then there’s Distractions.

Yesterday, while driving up to the lake with my son to do some work on a sailboat, my son noticed several drivers using cell phones and appeared to not pay enough attention to the road ahead. Occasionally one would cross the line or slow down as he or she looked down, as if to be looking at some paperwork or something. My son said, simply, “Distracted Driver.”

Last night a news article on the television reported on people walking along city streets reading and sending text messages. The report showed a clip from YouTube with a woman holding a cell phone to her face tripping and falling into a fountain pond. The news anchor, said there has been a sharp increase in accidents related to cell phone usage over the past several years requiring medical attention. I inferred from things he said later that some cities may be considering laws about using cell phones in public. Already some States’ traffic ordinances prohibit such usage.

Wake Up!

“Be sober. . .” What’s being sober mean to you? Is it really about not drinking too many alcoholic beverages? I think not. I think it is about more than just one thing, but includes the idea of being awake. There was a cartoon floating around not long ago that said the zombie apocalypse has already happened. It had a row of city folks walking with heads down looking at their cell phones. (Zombies again! Moan. . .) Being awake is being aware of what we are doing, being focused with a single vision while also mindful of what’s in our peripheral vision. Nothing will sneak up on us if we are aware of our surroundings!

Being awake or sober is being alert. We are called by Y’shuaJesus to watch out.

Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.

Luke 21:36

The woman on the YouTube video that fell into the fountain pond while texting from her phone didn’t escape getting wet.

Y’shuaJesus spoke about seeing what’s ahead of us, what’s coming.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

Matthew 24:32

Yes, He was speaking of the “End Times.” He was speaking of reading the signs. Americans are largely city folk these days. Not too many cities have fig trees. The illustration, modernized, might use traffic signs on a freeway, e.g., Lane Closed Ahead. From readiness to alertness. Driving at freeway speeds, readiness means knowing if there are cars near you, in the lanes to the left and right, behind and ahead. If you know that a car is to your left, nearby, you can avoid an obstacle in the highway by moving to the right. If you don’t know, you may move left into the path of the other vehicle.

Peter spoke of being reading, girding up your loins. It is preparedness. He said to be sober. We are called to be awake, alert. But it’s not all just about us, either. It isn’t just about not falling into a fountain pool. We are ready and alert so that we “hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Matthew Henry put it this way, “address ourselves vigorously to the work we have to do, encouraging ourselves from the grace of Jesus Christ.” This work is a benefit to us, and to those to whom we’ve been called. It is a work that builds our character and utilizes our gifts.

As we get ready for winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, we face longer, colder nights. Perhaps it is a time to dust off unused talents. I think of the parable of the talents. I could be the guy that buried my talent because I was afraid to use it and perhaps lose it. My message to me, today, is to figure out what I buried, to unearth it, and make it ready. Then be alert to how it may be used to the Glory of G-d, in the Name of The Lord Y’shuaJesus, Messiah, King.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Practice: Undisturbed and Unobserved

Practice makes perfect (credit: tom_1984)

In a recent post, I shared from an article about learning to handle a boat. The author’s mentor suggested that he go out in on a quite day to a place undisturbed and unobserved in which he could practice. I got sidetracked from writing, as I said on Monday, but still thought more about this sort of practicing as it relates to our Bible Walk. I recalled an interesting young man that appeared on the television show American Idol a few years ago. He wore a western-style (cowboy) hat and boots, and successfully auditioned for the show, and went on to Hollywood to compete with others. I don’t recall his name, and couldn’t find him in an internet search. His voice was good, though I believe he was eliminated before the final ten contestants. What made him remarkable, to me, is that he’d never sung to an audience until his audition with American Idol; he’d sung only to the ranch animals for whom he’d tended as he grew up. He didn’t even sing to his parents.

Another man comes to my mind that did a lot of practicing where he was undisturbed and unobserved: King David. Here’s part of the story that illustrates the success he had after long practice.

. . .David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him[Goliath]. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, and David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.

1Samuel 17:32-39

David fought lions and other predators that would have killed the sheep in his charge. During this time, David also spent time with G-d. Long evenings singing to G-d lead to other songs that we enjoy—Psalms. David learned in the years tending sheep to trust G-d. David learned warfare, too. David put it all together, especially the trust of G-d, to fight the battle against Goliath, and win in the Name of the LORD, through His might.

And then there was another gentleman. Saul, who became Paul. Saul was well trained in the Jewish Law and its traditions. Quite the fellow. As Saul, he persecuted the Jews who’d come to believe in Y’shuaJesus as Messiah. Saul had an epiphany; while on the road to Damascus to harass, even slaughter, more Jews, he met Y’shuaJesus. From this time forward, he was one of those Believers he’d persecuted. We read in Acts 9 that Paul “was with the disciples in Damascus for some days. Immediately he began proclaiming Y’shua in the synagogues.” He ruffled a lot of Jewish feathers, and a conspiracy began; the Jews would have Saul killed. With the help of disciples, Paul got out of Dodge. It seems likely at this point, prior to arriving in Jerusalem, he went into the desert (see Galatians 1:17), where he was with the Lord and relearned the Bible from a Messianic perspective, and learned that G-d extended Himself to all people, not just the Jewish nation.

While their stories contrast on some points, both David and Paul spent time in preparation. Practice. I’ve heard it said that we Americans want things instantly. Instant gratification. Instant knowledge. Instant success. We are thrilled to read the success stories that seem to show no amount of preliminary work, preparation, with instant results. It doesn’t really happen. One of the key ingredients in preparation Is not only the physical practice that builds muscle memory, but it is the time spent in mental and emotional preparation. For Christians, that’s utter devotion to the Lord. It is about being with the Lord, then we know what and how to practice the parts we’ll be called to play.

In thinking more on this topic of practice that is undisturbed and unobserved, I am reminded of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13-35). Like Paul, they knew the scriptures but came to know them in a different way as they walked with Y’shuaJesus. For it was while with the Lord that the scripture became alive to them.

So we don’t necessarily need to run off to the desert to practice our Bible Walk. But we do need to escape the daily grind to be with the Lord. It doesn’t have to be planned, and doesn’t need to be for weeks or years at a time. Moments during our ordinary day are fine. STOP what we currently are doing, let the Spirit of G-d into those moments to transform our inner persons so that our outer person walks the Bible Walk, not just talks it. This, then, becomes our practice.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Seven

Pastor David Wilkerson’s “Urgent Message” mentioned the possibility of fleeing the coming firestorm—the disaster that he had written about. For himself, he cited Psalm 11:1, which encouraged him to stay put, to minister in place.

To the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain. . .”

This psalm is said by some to be composed by King David when pursued by King Saul. Barne’s Notes states that “Venema supposes that it was composed when David was in the wilderness of Ziph, and when, betrayed by the inhabitants of the wilderness, and pursued by Saul, his friends began to advise him to seek a place of safety by flight, 1Sa_23:14-23 [and] All that is apparent in the psalm itself is, that it was when the author was in danger, and when some of his friends advised him to seek safety by flight, Psa_11:1. Instead of doing this, David determined to remain where he was, and to put his trust in God, with the belief that he would interpose and deliver him.”

This sentiment of trust in G-d’s providence, and Pastor Wilkerson’s determination to be with his congregation, prompted him to want to remain in New York City despite his vision of impending doom.

There are at least three types of fleeing: One is directed by G-d; one is out of necessity to save one’s life that one might fight another day; one is to run and hide to die in peace.

The last type is shown in 1 Kings 19:3, when Elijah “went for his life” into the wilderness where he lay down to die. Elijah had been very naughty, upsetting Queen Jezebel by killing all her false priests. She sent a message to him that she’d be coming to get him. A woman scorned, and all that. . . So Elijah heads for the hills.

Then there’s Abraham.

The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.”

Genesis 21:1

This had to have been hard. He took his immediate family, left his place, his people, his land. He didn’t fully know to where he was going. He didn’t know what it would be like. But G-d called, so he surrendered all, packed up, and left. Abraham wasn’t necessarily fleeing from, but fleeing to a place to which he’d been called. I suppose he knew there was no going back.
Now Jacob fled the Promised Land, to avoid the draught that swept Israel. He did so knowing he’d return, even if only his bones. The people of Israel would return, though it took 430 years to do so. I wonder if Jacob had known how long, would he as readily have fled. And yet he did; G-d knew it to be best for him, and for G-d’s people.

So, then, if we believe we’ve heard the prophetic words of warning, do we stay or do we flee?

We are in the ministry of reconciliation—offering to those to whom we’ve been called eternal life in Messiah Y’shuaJesus. So whether called to another place, or into the highways, or to stay put and minister in place, from the mouth of our Savior Y’shuaJesus, we are to:

“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:22

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Six

I’ve touched on preparedness from the point of view of surviving a disaster of limited scope for a local calamity such as a storm, and briefly mentioned survivalists/preppers who provision for extended you’re-on-you’re-own survival. On Wednesday I reposted an Urgent Message that speaks of wide-spread disaster of undetermined length of time. It’s up to you if you want to accept Pastor David Wilkerson’s Urgent Message. Or if you want to try to put aside a few meals and some drinking water “Just In Case” of a storm or some other disruption of normal grocery shipments, then get started.

On my heart at the moment is to take a look at some reasons, beyond our own survival, for preparedness. Paul wrote to Timothy something of his heart on why he continued doing the things he did, despite opposition, physical discomfort, and illness.

This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

2 Timothy 2:10

In his “Urgent Message,” Pastor Wilkerson mentioned two possible approaches to the coming time of which he spoke. One is to flee, the other to prepare and stay. He had chosen the later, to stay. He knew not all could, or would, leave New York City, so he felt it best to stay with them. He would stay and minister as long as possible, which would depend upon the Lord’s desires in his life. Pastor Wilkerson didn’t argue for a pre-tribulation return of Messiah in which the Believers are called to meet him in the air. He also didn’t mention a mid- or post-tribulation return. Without speculating as to how long he must endure, he was prepared emotionally and spiritually to endure until the end, his end or Messiah’s return. Just like Noah, Pastor Wilkerson was not preparing for only himself, but for the work of G-d through him.

Now for Noah, preparing was fairly clearcut: build a boat, equip it, gather a bunch of animals, round up his family, and close the door. It occurs to me that Noah would have had to not only prepare for feeding both human and animal during the forty-day cruise, but he’d also have to have enough on board to handle things until crops would grow again. Noah begins to look a lot like a modern-day prepper, who would even have stocked seed on board with supplies for over a year. So for Noah, the mandate was clearly him, his family, and a selection of animals.

For Pastor Wilkerson, as with all those who realize the need to prepare for coming hardships, it’s not so easy. There’s a difference of opinion of how much a family might need to have on hand, and it has to do with what type and duration of disaster a person believes he or she will face. Pastor Wilkerson stated: “lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials.” What comes after the thirty-day supply is exhausted? I believe Pastor Wilkerson’s faith was enough that he wasn’t going to be worried. His faith was in G-d Who is able to rescue His own. G-d rescued Lot before consuming fire destroyed his city. G-d cared for Elijah, feeding him by way of a bird. G-d kept hidden His chosen during the evil reign of King Ahab, during Elijah’s time. Furthermore, our Lord said:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:25

Take no thought. According to Barnes Notes on the Bible, “The word “anxiety” would now exactly express the sense, and is precisely the thing against which the Saviour would guard us. See Luke 8:14; Luke 21:34; Philippians 4:6. “Thought” about the future is right; “anxiety, solicitude, trouble” is wrong. There is a degree of “thinking” about the things of this life which is proper. See 1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; Romans 12:11. But it should not be our supreme concern; it should not lead to anxiety; it should not take time that ought to be devoted to religion. For your life – For what will “support” your life.”

This comment is exactly the balance I believe is necessary when we consider preparedness. We shall do best to allow our Lord to build our faith, that we are not anxious about any future, yet able to prayerfully consider, to think about, the need the Lord will have for us today, tomorrow, and in at any future time. Now in our prayerful considerations, we may wish to consider that the Lord may have us assist others in need, whether making through a storm or a major disaster with seemingly no end. It might be that a three-day emergency bag of food, water, and personal gear is inadequate to meet the needs of a group of people to which the Lord might bring our way. There may be people G-d desires to reach with the Gospel message, and you and me might be the ones G-d allows to represent Him. Presenting the Gospel to a hungry family is certainly more effective once the stomach is satisfied.

Consider these things. Give prayerful consideration to preparedness.

Until Monday, Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon you and through you.

Preparing for an Emergency—Five

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:21,22

Pastor David Wilkerson, in 2009, wrote the following on his blog:

AN URGENT MESSAGE
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

I will say to my soul: No need to run…no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you,

In Christ,

DAVID WILKERSON

See You Friday, Lord Willing. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Four

Noah was preparing for one particular disaster—a flood. Not just any flood, either, but a very big one, one that, as revealed to him, would eliminate all inhabitants of the Earth except those in Noah’s Ark. If we choose preparedness, for what types of disasters shall we prepare?

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Matthew 24:7

Y’shuaJesus said those words around two thousand years ago. Since then, nations have risen, fallen, and fought one another. There have been famines and pestilences, disease outbreaks, and a whole variety of natural calamities. The United State Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests at its website Ready.gov, the following in its introduction to PLANNING:

“Emergency preparedness is not the sole concern of Californians for earthquakes, those who live in “Tornado Alley”; or Gulf Coast residents because of hurricanes. Most communities may be impacted by several types of hazards during a lifetime. Americans also travel more than ever before; to areas impacted by hazards they may not be at risk of near their homes. Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count.

“Some of the basic protective actions are similar for multiple hazards. For example, safety is necessary when experiencing all hazards, whether this means sheltering or evacuating depends on the specific emergency. Developing a family communications plan or making an emergency supply kit are the same for accidental emergencies, natural disasters and also terrorism. However, there are important differences among potential emergencies that should impact the decisions you make and the actions you take.”

Storms seem the most frequent and severe disasters we, in the US, face each year. Even in fair-weather places, like Georgia, storms disrupt services. During the winter of 2010-11, a nice storm pretty much shut down northern Georgia, including the metropolitan Atlanta area, which is home to about five million people. The worst of it lasted only three days, but driving even five days following the storm was difficult in many areas. Schools were closed. Deliveries were disrupted. Most still had electricity, so didn’t need to evacuate. In other winter storms throughout the United States, power is often lost. Without power, most will have not heat. And when it’s freezing outside, it soon freezes inside. Not pleasant. With no power, evacuating is often the only solution. And to where? Why, to a friendly government-established and -staffed facility.

But there is still the revelation of Y’shuaJesus that more severe things will occur. On Wednesday, I have scheduled an repost of an urgent warning from an American pastor.

Until then, May the Lord continue to Bless, Keep, and Shine upon y’all. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Three

How much should a pantry have in it? Here’s what’s written about Noah:

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 6:21-21

Not exactly clear how much Noah stocked in his boat. Perhaps Noah knew it would take forty-days supply. If we were to consider a cache, how much would we store?

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. Some survivalists/preppers stock several years of dried food, extra clothing, farming equipment, medical supplies, and various sorts of hunting and self-defense/protection gear. At that point, it’s not a pantry, but an entire room or more that is filled. That’s definitely prepared. At the opposite side is the man I mentioned with absolutely nothing in his pantry, as he lived from one day to the next buying what the family needed daily. Going upward from there is people who follow the government recommendations. I remember the 1950s when we were preparing for what we thought would be an eminent nuclear war. We had AM band radios marked with a radiation symbol to let us know where to tune in the event of an emergency. We had a list of things we were suppose to store, that included two-weeks supply of food that could be eaten without cooking, lots of water, candles, matches, and personal items. There were shelters fully stocked in the various public buildings. That was forgotten for a while as the threat of the Cold War died out. With it died the emergency broadcast system. The shelters were quickly forgotten, too. One day, in one town I lived in, one of the shelters was cleared out. There were a lot of leaking bottles of chemicals that had to be disposed.

With “9-11” emergency preparedness took on new life, and the government is once again in the recommending a plan and a kit. There’s an interesting campaign launched by CDC providing posters to state and local health departments. These posters use the Zombie Apocalypse as an eye-catcher. The idea is to get people to think and plan in the event of a local, regional, or national disaster. Depending upon the government agency, the recommended supply of emergency food and gear is now a three-day pack that can be quickly carried out of the house. Occasionally there are recommendations that include the three-day kit and a “long-term” supply for between two and three weeks. There is no provision for defense measures, either.

Where to go? In America, today, tt is expected that we, the people, in the case of disaster and evacuation, will move to a nice shelter somewhere out of danger. I suspect this is why the three-day pack is recommended, it is definitely more portable than the ultimate prepper’s larder. Were a disaster to strike, we will follow along with countless others shambling into a stadium or other suitable venue, where we will be fed and cared for until the disaster is mitigated. From what I’ve heard, that scenario didn’t work out too well during the Katrina Hurricane disaster in New Orleans. Those that took to the road to avoid Katrina, found themselves in gridlock going north with many just running out of gas on the highway. Some others that stayed out of desire to, or didn’t have a way to evacuate, went to the stadium, where they found another form of disaster. That three-day supply would have been a great idea in either case, and a two-week kit even better—if someone didn’t “requisition” it from the bearer.

More thoughts on Monday.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Lower 9th... — New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Lower 9th Ward. House thrown off foundation, partially atop an upside-down Ford-150 Photo by Infrogmation. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Preparing for an Emergency—Two

Now it’s a good thing Noah didn’t live in America today. I read recently of a man facing charges from city government for not completing his boat in the time frame in which he was originally granted. The city was going to move the boat, completed or not, away from the guys home because the boat had been an eyesore too long. In my neighborhood, I agreed to something called CC&Rs, which restricts me to lots of things beyond what the county ordinances disallow. No way could I build a boat on my acre of land; I’m not allowed to have a ham radio antenna.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:26,27

We are an increasingly urban society in America. This means lots of people crammed together coexisting, or at least trying to do so. In the area in which I now reside, which was rural not too long ago when I moved here, growth has brought us to a point nearly suburban, which means we still have some open land left to pillage, and no high-rise buildings in clusters. Things are a bit less concentrated, but we have industrial and office complexes appearing next to neighborhoods. Roads running by the neighborhoods are snarled with automobiles when employees head to work or to home, and often during the day. Schools are crowded, while new ones are built and filled quickly to overflowing. And there seems to be no end in sight. It also means that we are within a mile of a grocery store in a large shopping plaza. Each plaza seems to have a salon, a shop to do ladies’ nails, dry cleaners, and a restaurant or two, and several fast-food places.

Urbanites don’t keep food on the shelf, it seems. One of my neighbors admitted he had absolutely nothing in his cupboard, that his family either ate out or picked something up to bring home each day. I’m not from that lifestyle. To use a line from a song, “I’m a little more country than that.”

I grew up in rural areas, lived most of my adult life in rural areas. During season, we ate a lot of fresh produce from farm stands. My mother shopped sales and stocked the pantry with as much as we could afford. They also travelled about a hundred miles to an Air Force base to shop at the commissary—saving a lot of money doing so. The only things they needed to buy more frequently were perishables that wouldn’t freeze. They didn’t call it “Prepping”; it was just a way of life.

There are other reasons to have a large pantry. One example is one community in which I lived, up in northern California. Winter storms rolled through at least once each year that closed the main interstate that runs between California to Washington. It could stay closed for several days. After the first day of the storm, the store shelves were bare, and no shipments arrived until the interstate reopened. We either had a minimally stocked pantry, or went without.

It’s time for you to look in a cupboard, or closet, or where ever you store food, to see what’s on hand. Let me know what you find. How long can you exist, not thrive, but just exist on what you have on hand? Until Friday, then.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .