By faith Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. Hebrews 11:7-8 WEB.

For three months, I had a driving urge to go and pray every day at three in the afternoon. I would lay on the floor of my room and pray for one to three hours. The time was usually spent in tears, with no idea why I was praying other than I was supposed to. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the room became so strong that it covered me like a warm blanket. It was so wonderful. Then, the season passed. The heavens became like brass, and one of the worst trials of our lives soon began.

Our business ground to a halt, and all of our income dried up. We couldn't find a job anywhere and didn't qualify for unemployment. No one would even talk to us or return our calls. What savings we had slowly drained away, and soon, the bills started piling up. When we prayed, we only heard silence. The tears that we shed were no longer from the Lord's presence but what felt like abandonment. I know that He will never leave nor forsake you, but after several months passed by, it felt like He had.

Finally, the week that we began packing to move out of our home, I went into the room where I used to pray and sat down on a bean bag. I no longer had the strength to pray. I just sat there, feeling very much alone. While sitting there in silence, something like a movie screen appeared before me. It was the first open vision I experienced.

In the vision, I saw myself entering a boxing ring and pulling on the gloves. The view was from behind me, and it appeared that I was alone. Then, the camera view panned around to my face, and I could see the Lord standing behind me like a coach, just outside the ring.

He spoke these words that I'll never forget and said, "You are not alone, for I am in your corner, and I have prepared you for this day. Now get in there and fight!" In about 48 hours, our whole life changed. I became a pastor, and a friend suddenly stepped in and paid our bills for the month. The trial was over. Like cattle herded through a loading chute, I found myself herded into ministry.

Soldiers train ahead of time so that when the fight starts, they are ready. Athletes prepare before the competition arrives. Noah built the ark before the flood came. So please don't wait until you are in the thick of battle to start getting ready for it. When the storm begins, it's too late to start building the ark. Grab onto whatever you can and hang on. In the end, God will come through. Yet, when given a chance, prepare for the fight ahead of time. Don't ignore those urges to go and pray!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me be prepared before the storm comes. Speak to me, draw me aside, and fill me with your Holy Spirit, Lord. Please give me the grace to face whatever comes my way. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today, we will be hosting our Wednesday morning prayer service at the usual time of 10:30am EST! This is a short service, about 15-20 minutes, where we pray together for any needs you would like to share. Hope to see y'all there! As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.