Always be prepared!

Now you might think that this title only applies to the Boy Scouts and their motto, but my recent trip to the Bahama's taught me that the phrase "always be prepared" is a universally applicable statement.

My family arrived last Saturday afternoon in the Bahama's for our annual vacation/business trip. We were totally prepared for a lovely week of fun and sun.

Shortly before leaving to go to the airport we checked the weather report to find that it was officially the "rainy season" in the islands, so we anticipated(prepared for)less than perfect conditions for the week. And, without surprise, weather.com was right on target, it rained and stormed every single day during our stay.

We also prepared for many other possible scenarios like sunburn (had that), stomach aches(foreign food), injuries(mild), fever blisters(huge) and bug bites(minimal), just to name a few. We even prepared to worship on Sunday morning without an organized church to attend. But there was one very unusual event that occurred on Sunday morning that we could not have prepared for and here is that story.......

As the sun came up over the Atlantic Ocean, early Sunday morning, it was a gloriously beautiful day. Upon opening my eyes to the new day, the first glimpse I caught was of my husband reading His Bible in the chair next to my bed. He quietly left the room to take a walk and I sat down to read my Bible and have some much needed quiet time for myself. The girls were still in the bed sleeping for the next hour or so as I read.

That morning, my readings took me back to the Book of Psalms, where I read many of my favorite chapters. Then I turned to the Book of Isaiah to look for a familiar passage that I wanted to use in a Bible study. As the girls began to stir, God gave me the idea to challenge them to find a Psalm that depicted their individual lives and where they were in their relationships with the Lord. My eldest daughter suggested that I begin reading chapter one aloud and continue until the right one came along. I decided to turn on the television and find a church service on television. Dr. Charles Stanley from FBC Atlanta was preaching and his text for the morning was Psalm 37.

How faithful was my Heavenly Father to provide the truth that we all needed for that moment. The highlights of His preparedness were as follows:

Fret not because of evildoers...
Trust in the Lord ...
Delight yourself in the Lord ...
Commit your way to the Lord ...
Be still before the Lord ...
Wait patiently for the Lord ...
Refrain from anger...
The steps of a man are established by the Lord...
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

God spoke to our hearts in a very meaningful way through that message. Then I flipped over to I Peter 3:1-6 and read that passage. The very last line of verse six jumped off of the page like never before. "And you are now her true daughters if you do right and let nothing terrify you (not giving way to hysterical fears or letting anxieties unnerve you)." I immediately prayed and asked God to help me overcome the fears that often paralyze me and continue to use me for His glory.

No sooner than I had prayed that prayer and said "Amen" than we heard a loud banging and woman screaming in the hall right outside the hotel room door. At first, my thought was that the maids were laughing and goofing off, but within seconds I realized that this woman was in distress. Historically, I might have just called the hotel security, but without a thought I went straight out the door. There were two maids in the hall and three other adults coming to her aide. Almost simultaneously we asked her if we could help her. She denied our petitions and then turned and walked straight towards me, crying hysterically.

For the next 15 minutes, I shared scripture and told her that her only hope for the future was to place her faith in Christ alone for her salvation and deliverence from the demon of alcohol that was destroying her life and the life of her family. She began to calm down and try to listen. Between the tears and hysteria, she shared bits and pieces of her life story and the crisis that she was presently involved in.
As we waited for security to come (called by the maids) I asked her if I could pray with her and held her tiny wrist and prayed out loud. Her arm was as lifeless as a baseball bat. The Holy Spirit spoke through me very clearly and plainly as I prayed for this desperate woman. When I said "amen" I felt the presence of someone over my shoulder. It was the security guard standing there beside me. His words to me were, "bless you sister." Not only had God prepared me for that moment in time to share Christ with a desperately sad, hopeless woman, but also He prepared a Christian, Bahamian security guard to stand beside me as I prayed for this woman.

Quickly, I went back to my room expressing my grattitude to God for His provision for me, my safety and for giving me the opportunity to overcome a fear that would have prevented me, before then, of ever going outside of my room to minister to this lady. God answered my prayer almost before I uttered the words about overcoming fear and using me for His glory. I am so thankful that God, in His mercy and love, prepared my heart for the place of obedience where He would call me to walk.

Being prepared is always prudent in life....being prepared by God for a job that He has for you to do is awesome!