If we were asked today, "are you ready for Jesus to come back tonight"? Many would answer and say "yes" we are ready. We want to see His coming, we even look forward to it and we pray we will see it soon but are we really ready for that moment when Jesus either comes through the sky to take us home or the moment when our heart stops beating and our spirit goes home to Him? .

     I learned a few things through this past Holiday Season. I found that the things I knew were going to happen I was prepared and ready for. What I wasn't ready for was the surprises that came my way through the holidays. My daughter and her husband and my granddaughter were here from out of town. There were staying with her husband's parents and so schedules were made for certain events when we would be together, and for those I made sure I was ready. I did not want to give up one second of my time with my granddaughter while she was here. It was so important to me to be ready and on time for these scheduled events.

     What I was not prepared for were the surprise visits, the unexpected blessed times with my family, the times when they just showed up at my door without anyone letting me know they were coming. In fact one day I was sitting here writing, it was the middle of the day, I was not even dressed because I knew I would be typing most of the day and had set my mind to do that and nothing else. For me it was just another day of doing what I do and there was no reason to be all dressed, I could just be me and be casual as nothing was on the horizon for that day.

     I sat here typing away getting things ready to update my web site for the month and was thinking how the day seemed a little empty, I missed the kids being around. All of a sudden there was a knock at my door, actually a couple of knocks by little hands. I knew those knocks, I had heard them before, they were the little hands of my grandchildren. Oh I was so surprised, this was totally unexpected. As much as I wanted to see them that day I had no idea that I would and now here they were hugging me and kissing me and making plans to spend the night with me. I was blessed beyond measure to see their little faces and to know they were as excited as I was to be here with me. There was only one problem. I was not prepared. Their little faces looked at me wondering why Grandma was not even dressed for the day. My daughter and son-in-law came in and looked at me the same way. It was afternoon and I wasn't even out of my bathrobe. Hurriedly I ran in the bedroom and got dressed so that I could at least be presentable while they were here. I was not prepared for this surprise visit, as much as I desired it, wanted it, hoped for it, and even believed it could happen, I was not ready and through that I began to ask myself the same question in other areas of my life.

"Am I prepared"?

     The Lord has given us many promises, the greatest one being eternal life with Him. He will fulfill His promises to us, some of them in this lifetime and then in eternity. But are we really ready, are we prepared for what lies ahead?

     For the promises God has given to us on while we are still here on earth we do what we know to do. We pray, we intercede, we take authority when needed, we speak the right words, and we even write the visions and believe they will come to pass.

     Then time passes and we don't see the promise and we become complacent. We think either God has changed His mind, (which is not going to happen), or that it is taking too long and it is more impossible than before so we may just as well figure it out ourselves, or we might sometimes give up the whole vision entirely. Then there is a "suddenly" in our lives and the very thing God spoke comes to pass. We find ourselves shocked and not ready to handle the very thing God had promised us because we had stopped preparing for it.

     Now I am not saying all of us do but I must admit I am guilty of it myself. God has promised me marriage restoration. When he first gave the promise I was so excited and began to get ready in my heart. Then time passed, and time passed and time passed. Things looked worse in the natural and the whole task of restoration seemed impossible to me, yet I know God's word has not changed. I found I wasn't praying as fervently, I was no longer expecting my husband to walk through the door. I began accepting what I saw with my eyes and became complacent in many areas.

     But God through His wondrous mercies and grace continues showing me this is His will, this is His doing and all that is required of me is to be ready for that moment when the promise is fulfilled. Even when I let the vision die, when I decided to not even pray for it anymore God continued to be faithful. Everywhere I would go, every time I would turn on the radio or read my emails for the day there would always be something about marriage. I use to say,

"Lord I have heard all of this, why do I need to continue to hear it"?

    Now I know God wanted me to have a heart of preparation. He wants me to learn all I can about His ways in marriage, His desires for my marriage and His awareness of my need to know all I could so that this time when my husband returns our marriage will be built on the Rock of Christ Jesus. Now I am doing all I know to do to be prepared, both spiritually and in the natural. I do not know the day when my husband will come through that door, but I do know He will come and I want to be ready.

     I also do not know the day when the Lord will call me home, or when He might come through the skies but I know I want to be prepared and ready. Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins in the gospels, five were ready and five were not. They were all virgins, they all had their lamps but only five had enough oil to light those lamps when the Bridegroom came. Only five went with Him. The others had to go back to find oil and when they returned the door was closed. They could not enter in. My desire is to be one of those who have enough oil when the time comes. I want my heart to be so ready for Jesus, whenever he shows up, however He shows up and in any situation where He shows up. I want to be ready for His promises in this life and in eternal life. I want to know my Savior so well that when I hear His footsteps I will run to Him. I don't want Him to knock on my door and find me unprepared to receive Him.

    In Revelations 3:20 Jesus talks to the church who had grown lukewarm, He said:

"Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

    I always use to hear this scripture as a salvation scripture till one day I was reading it and realized Jesus was speaking to the church. He was speaking to those who already knew Him, who had received His love and His grace. Their problem was they had grown complacent and Jesus was telling them He was knocking at the door of their hearts.

    When my grandchildren knocked at my door, I knew their knock. When my husband comes home I believe I will recognize his knock at the door. My true desire it to be ready when Jesus knocks, to hear His voice, to heed His voice and to follow His voice. I want to be prepared for Him to come anytime, anyplace and in anyway He sees fit. I want to be ready for Him when He comes to take me home. I want to be ready for Him when He shows up with a "suddenly" in my life. I want to be ready for every promise He has given when it is fulfilled.

    I pray to be prepared, especially in these days with so many unknowns going on in our world, I desire to be in His presence and to be filled with His Spirit that I might hear His voice in the night or see His face in the clouds. I want to be dressed in His righteousness and ready and waiting for our Bridegroom to come for His bride.

    I am more aware now than ever before about being prepared for the things of God. I pray that we will all be prepared. If your heart has grown cold, if you have become complacent in any way with the Lord I pray for Him to ignite a fire in you this day, to seek Him, to love Him, to follow Him and to be ready for His return. If you have never received the forgiveness of your sins through Christ Jesus I pray you will call on His name today and let Him begin to prepare your heart for all of His wondrous works. I pray the Lord's blessings upon you this year as we all go forth in Him. I pray for us all to be prepared.