Be Ready by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

            Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have….(1 Peter 3:15)

            The young man startled me when he stuck his head into my passenger side window. I was about to drop my car off to be washed and he was one of the employees. I asked him how he was doing. “Not good,” he replied.  “I want my girl and kids back.”

            The young man began to tell me about how he lost his girlfriend and mother of his children because of a bad decision. He knew what he did was wrong and appeared repentant. He wanted to marry the mother of his children. It was at that point I boldly asked, “Do you know the Lord?” He said, “Yes, ma’am.  I have several people praying for me.” I asked him his name and told him I’d also pray for his situation.  I also happened to have a Pearls of Promise devotional in the back seat of the car so before our conversation ended, I handed him the book to read when he got off work.

            When I pulled into the car wash, I didn’t expect to have an opportunity to share my faith with a young man, but do we ever know when God will place someone in our path to reach out to? We need to always be ready to give a reason for the hope we have.  This is a hurting, confused world and whether it’s the car wash, the grocery store or at the restaurant you frequent, someone there may need to know why you are still able to wear a smile on your face.

            I am reminded of the apostle Philip who was redirected by the Angel of the Lord to a eunuch sitting in his chariot, struggling to interpret the book of Isaiah.

            The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

            Neither Philip nor the eunuch knew they would have this encounter when the day started but Philip was ready and the eunuch was willing to listen. God’s timing was perfect.

            So the next time you leave the house, be ready to give a reason for your hope. Better yet, pray for an opportunity to share your faith. God will honor that prayer because pointing people to Him is one of the reasons we’ve been placed on this earth.