You Never Know What Will Happen Next – But You Can Be Prepared, Aware, & Plan For It!

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.’ (Matthew 24:44); ‘So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

Just when we began to think, here in Florida, that we were going to enjoy a year without any hurricanes – BAM!, out of almost nowhere comes Hurricane Isaias, that formed on the western waters of the Gulf of America and is ready to strike the northern Gulf between Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida later today.

While we who live in southwestern Florida are breathing a sigh of relief, it is of course always troubling to know that a hurricane is hitting somewhere, especially in an area that is populated like the ‘Redneck Riviera’ coastline where many reside.  It is especially concerning that Isaias is a Category 3 hurricane, which is at an intensity that will likely cause some wind damage, coastal flooding and erosion, and the threat of power and other utilities loss.

This year’s lack of activity likely had many caught off-guard, lulled into a sense of false safety and security and now have many scrambling to get prepared.  Even in years of normal tropical development, the reports and pictures of empty shelves in grocery stores and the lines to buy plywood are often broadcast on air or online, more so when a storm like Isaias comes out of the blue.  Fortunately, we can’t say it completely snuck up on us – there was a window of a week of forecasting informing us this was about to develop.

For someone who continues to remind people to ‘BE AWARE, BE PREPARED, PLAN ACCORDINGLY’, even I slacked off a bit from my usually readiness routine.  I had some gas cans that needed filled for about a week, and I finally filled them yesterday, when I heard Isaias was strengthening and moving a little eastward (but indications remaining it was not toward us).  I didn’t stay as focused as I normally do to ensure to be ready at all times; though preparations as they were would have been sufficient, I wasn’t at the peak of readiness.  Regardless, whether or not we are ready, events can happen that we don’t expect. 

Jesus, like the meteorologists in the springtime who give us an outlook on the number of storms to expect, has also given us a forecast of what is coming.  Like those weather prognosticators, He hasn’t told us when He would come back to us, only to be ready for Him to come.  When it is quiet, we sometimes let our guard down, perhaps we don’t pick up the Bible to read it as we should, or we get into a time of rote and repeating prayers that we don’t give as much thought into as we should.  Some of us wane in our Spiritual connection and begin to slack in our church life.  Some of us may fall into a slumber, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:6, not alert or aware of what is occurring around us.

In Matthew 24:44, however, Jesus gives us a bit of a warning not to let our guard down, to ensure we are ready for Him to come at any time.  We don’t know when He will come to call upon His church to be joined with Him.  Though we have the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, not everything is made so clear as to speculate a date or time when Jesus is returning.  We can only know for certain that He is coming for us, someday.

Though we don’t know when hurricanes will form and come into our area, we do know for certain that they eventually will come and come at any moment.  We prepare for them by having the means to secure our homes with shutters, keeping yard clutter to a minimum, and trimming or cutting down trees that could topple over in a storm.  We have generators, extra food and water, and means to prepare the food without electricity or gas.  If we don’t stay prepared, we may suffer from our lack of preparation.

It is similar in the case of Jesus’ return.  We know He is coming, and we need to be prepared by keeping ourselves in His Word, keeping our prayers to Him sharp and relevant, and to make the most of this lull time in ensuring the Great Commission is performed, so that there are no regrets when He comes.  While we know that our Salvation seals us into Eternal Grace with the Father, the knowledge that there were those who we could have bore witness to but didn’t; family, friends, co-workers, neighbors – may lead to regret and guilt on our part when we hear the sounds of the trumpets heralding His re-entry.

BE AWARE, BE PREPARED, PLAN ACCORDINGLY.  Pray up, Bible up, Fellowship up!  Know that Jesus is coming back someday.  Are you prepared for Him to come back through your Faithfulness and obedience to Him?  Like a hurricane, we don’t know when or where He’s going arrive, but He will come.  Make sure your plans include Him; if you know Him and have received His Salvation, great!  If you do not know Him or know of those around you who don’t Him, today is a great day to do get to know Him, or introduce Him to those who don’t know Him in obedience to the Great Commission, as He may be about ready to have the trumpets sound…