Living ready for the moments when God interrupts our ordinary lives
I live within blocks of a fire station that serves a large metropolitan area. I am so accustomed to the sirens whizzing by that I no longer awaken from my sleep as fire trucks and ambulances race below me at night. I blissfully sleep on in the safety of my cosy bed. It is only when an emergency vehicle pulls to a stop in front of my high-rise that I stir.
In contrast, firefighters and paramedics jump into action at the first ring of an alarm. They reach for cumbersome safety gear instead of their pillow and blanket. It would be ridiculous for them to presume that someone else will take their place if they decide they just don’t feel like getting out of bed.
As they shake off the last vestiges of sleep and head out into the chilly night air, they know a call might keep them away from their much-needed sleep for several hours. At worst, they could lay down their lives for the sake of others.
First responders don’t begin preparing when the alarm sounds.
They keep their bodies and minds physically fit through proper diet, exercise and rest. They constantly train to hone their skills. Their equipment and vehicles are maintained and inspected regularly. Paramedics check and re-check their medical inventory. Everything needs to be ready before it is needed.
That preparation doesn’t end when they leave the fire hall. How they live matters. Staying healthy and clear-headed is part of the job because anything that dulls their reflexes can affect their ability to respond when the alarm sounds.
Firefighters and paramedics still go about their daily routines when on duty. They cook communal meals, clean equipment, joke with their fellow crew members and maybe watch a football game or two. Most halls have fitness equipment and study areas.
But when an alarm sounds, they drop everything. Meals are left uneaten, routine chores are abandoned, and the last quarter of the Super Bowl is ignored.
They were able to respond because they prepared long before the alarm sounded.
I believe there is a spiritual parallel here.
God calls us to stay alert and ready. We still go about our everyday lives. We work, play, raise families, spend time with friends, rest and enjoy ourselves. But we also remember that God may interrupt our plans. He may put someone on our heart. He may call us to pray. He may ask us to step into a situation where He wants to bring healing, hope or restoration.
Preparation for those moments happens long before the alarm sounds.
We spend time in His Word. We pray and intercede. We learn to recognize His voice and, just as importantly, we learn to obey Him when He speaks. Through practice, our spiritual reflexes become sharper.
And what we consume matters.
When the Lord first highlighted the need to be spiritually ‘fit’ in preparedness of His call to me a few years back, I was thinking mostly about things such as television, movies, music, negative thinking and gossip. Those things can still affect us, but there is another source of noise today that is almost impossible to avoid.
Social media.
Outrage, trolling, gossip, fear, endless arguments and doomscrolling can become a steady diet without us even noticing. The algorithm learns what keeps us engaged and happily gives us more of it.
If I don’t intentionally choose my spiritual diet, there are plenty of algorithms willing to choose it for me.
But this isn’t only about what I need to stop consuming. It’s also about what I choose to consume instead.
Scripture. Prayer. Worship. Wise teaching. Testimonies of what God is doing. Healthy conversations. Face to face time with people who strengthen my faith. Gratitude. Laughter. Rest.
And sometimes simply turning down the noise long enough to hear God.
We might still be tempted to snuggle deeper under our blankets when God sounds the alarm. But being spiritually alert doesn’t mean living constantly on edge. First responders don’t spend their entire shift standing beside the truck waiting nervously for the bell to ring. They live ordinary life while remaining ready to respond.
I think there is something in that for us.
Am I living my ordinary life in a way that keeps me ready for God’s interruptions?
What am I doing today that prepares me for the moment God says, “I need you here”?
And have I become so accustomed to the noise around me that I can sleep through something God is asking me to notice?
We don’t prepare after the alarm sounds.
We prepare now.
1 Peter 5:8 — “Stay alert…”
Isaiah 52:1–2 — “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion… Shake yourself from the dust and arise…”
Until next time,
Kath
