Friday: Be Ready!
READ: Luke 21
SOAP: Luke 21:34–36
But be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will overtake all who live on the face of the whole earth. But stay alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Devotion
It is hard not to allow the fears and anxieties of this life weigh down our hearts. In the past few years, we have seen many people struggling under the weight of their circumstances. At times, it feels like despair is all around us.
People need hope. People need Jesus. They need to know that good will win in the end and that with Christ, they will always have the hope of heaven, a hope that will one day be a reality for all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
In the meantime, we need to use the Word of God to fight the fears and anxieties we face. We cannot passively let ourselves and others get weighed down with despair. I love how verse 34 says we must be on our guard so that our hearts do not get weighed down.
Being on guard is something we must do actively and purposefully. We must intentionally fight back against the worries we face in life by bringing our burdens to God in prayer, realizing that this world is not our home. Better days are ahead. Jesus could return any time. The pains, tribulations, and worries of this life will not last forever. God has a plan, and nothing is out of His control.
Prayer
Dear Lord, give us the strength to endure. Help us stay focused on You and the hope of eternity that we have in You. Protect us as Your return gets closer and closer. Help us to be brave on the days we want to cower. Give us discernment as this world becomes more and more deceptive. Help us stay alert and live our lives in purposeful anticipation as we patiently wait for Your return. Until that day, I pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.