There is always a challenge, a test from a distance or one that is brave enough to get right in our faces and release a steady flow of hot air into our space. We don’t always know it is coming or how long it will stay, but once it is there it will try to move us and take over our comfort zone. If we are prepared it does not matter if our zone is no longer one of comfort, we will be able to adjust.

When the power is out a flashlight with fresh batteries rest on the designated shelf and you can get to it in the dark. The path to it was mapped out in your mind while it was daylight, soon you can see again. Driving down the highway a flat tire brings you to a halt. Tucked away out of sight there is a spare tire and all the tools to get you moving again. We prepare ourselves for days like this that have a probability of occurring. We prepare to keep from bumping our heads on a closed door as we stumble through the darkness. That spare tire is there and the tools to utilize it so we will not be stranded. These challenges come unexpected, but being ready carries us through them.

Some challenges are more difficult to take on and get through, but preparation will prove its worth. In all that you do to plan for disasters, accidents, and other challenges that show up in your face, prayer should be the background preparation; especially when you need more than a flashlight or a spare tire. With prayer in the background adjusting will not be a problem. Every time the hot air flows too close and moves you from the place of comfort the wall that catches you will be your preparation. When you turn around to look behind you in astonishment because you knew no physical wall was there you will know your prayers are working in your environment.

A test, trial, or challenge will come; do your groundwork and change the outcome.

On my knees things happen…

My eyes are open while they are closed…

My head is down, but it is lifted up…

The room is filled with silence…

My ears hear a powerful voice…

My body is present, but I am in a different place…

My lungs breathe in a familiar air…

There is a thick vapor; it is what I feel…

When I am on my knees things happen…

To be on my knees is pleasure…