"Ready"

Are you ready Daddy asked me,

As he set me in the saddle,

The first time as a three year old,

With him to check some cattle.

And, no, I didn’t think so,

In fact I was afraid,

But Dad thought I was ready,

And that was what he said.

Backed into the roping box,

And tried to get all set,

My heeler was my brother,

The best that you could get.

He asked me are you ready,

And yessir, all the way,

And if I remember right,

We caught both ends that day.

The boss said are you ready,

As I slid under the wheel,

Of that big old eighteen wheeler,

They trained me that’s the deal.

And now it’s time to drive it,

And learn to grind those gears,

I remember like a yesterday,

Though it’s been many years.

Are you ready was the question,

As they gathered round to pray,

To ask the Holy Spirit,

To anoint me everyday.

To take the job as pastor,

Be ordained to fill that role,

To lead lost folks to Jesus,

And shepherd God’s sheep fold.

And no, you’re never ready,

To live up to such a thing,

But ready or not you do it,

‘Cause God’s grace He will bring.

So many ‘are you ready’s’,

Along life’s years and days,

So few times I felt I was,

And if I did, always,

Knew if I was ready,

The Good Lord made it so,

And that’s the way to know it,

It’s something He must show.

But then comes the question,

Are you ready in the end,

To die and meet the Master,

Or if He comes again.

And the only way we know it,

Is if He makes us right,

Through the cleansing blood of Jesus,

And the healing of His light.

So I pray that you are ready,

And I am ready, too,

‘Cause no matter when it happens,

To me and, yes, to you,

The only hope of readiness,

Is the witness of His grace,

When the Holy Spirit tells us,

That we will see His face.

And do not fear, my brother,

And sister, don’t be scared,

Just turn to Christ the Savior,

For He has always cared,

More that we can measure,

And He wants us to know,

That He will make us ready,

When it’s our time to go.

“So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment…” (1 John 4:17, NLT)

During my early years in church the theme of judgment was common, and it was used as a threat to get us saved. So what if you die and face Jesus as your judge? What then? Or what if Jesus comes again and you’re not ready? The descriptions of judgment could be very graphic and dramatically described. So, the primary motivator for knowing the Lord was the threat of what would happen if you didn’t. And, oh by the way, God loves you. Forgive me if this sounds oversimplified, but this is the message I heard for so many years that I know it by heart. Do I believe in judgment? Yes. But do I believe fear should be the motivator for receiving God’s grace. No. In fact, the offer of grace is so much bigger than the threat of judgment that I now believe one works and the other rarely does. God wants to dismantle our fear and welcome us into His Kingdom. Our response of faith and repentance is made possible by His grace and that alone. God wants to give us this assurance, and He will if we surrender wholeheartedly to Him.

Lord, make us ready, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Joel Phillips, used by permission. Thanks, Joel, and God bless you.