How To Get Ready For Jesus’ Second Coming [Pt. 3]

Today we will now conclude our devotional series on how to practically get ready for Jesus’ second coming. It’s my hope and prayer that this series has encouraged you to keep on following Christ and to keep trusting Him to make you ready for His soon return.

So let’s start off by taking a look at the verse we’ve been digging into throughout this series:

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
(Mark 13:32-33)

As you might’ve guessed, the final topic we’re gonna delve into, based on the above verse, is PRAYER!

Why Pray?

As Seventh-Day Adventist Christian teens, we’ve always heard all kinds of adults in church talk about prayer and the importance of prayer. But why? Why is prayer important? And how does it connect with practically preparing for Christ’s soon return?
Well, Jesus gives us one reason why prayer is important:

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
(Matthew 26:41)

Prayer is one of our most effective weapons against temptation. Paul also emphasized this concept as well. Listen to what he writes next after describing the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6:

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
(Ephesians 6:18)

While it’s true prayer is what defends us and keeps us when in the midst of temptation, I believe that there’s another reason why prayer is important–and it goes much deeper.

An Invisible Lifeline

David wrote a beautiful psalm about prayer. It says:

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
–(Psalm 42:8)

How does this verse apply to us as Seventh-Day Adventist teens?
One big application could be this: Prayer is not only just a weapon against the temptations we may personally face in daily life; prayer is also what keeps us connected to the God of life.

It’s like prayer is the invisible lifeline that keeps our hearts tied to the “God of [our] [lives].”

An Invisible Carrier

Another thing I wanna point out on why prayer is important is another psalm David wrote:

In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
–(Psalm 109:4)

Here, we see David giving himself “to prayer” in the midst of rejection; in the midst of trial. For us in our modern 21st century lives, a third reason why prayer important is because it’s what carries us through when trial hits. Believe me, I myself have experienced the beautiful benefit of praying during trial first hand.

We Need To Pray

Friend, as we get closer and closer to the end times, prayer will be the ultimate thing that’d sustain us, and help us to be ready for Jesus’ second coming.
But, dear reader, I wanna ask you something: Are you spending time in prayer? Are you connecting to the God of life? Are you giving yourself to prayer–especially during times of trial?

If, dear reader, you sense your deep lack of having a consistent prayer life, I’d like to encourage you to start praying. And in case you don’t really know where to start, just pray the following prayer below:

I’d like to conclude this post with a beautifully encouraging statement from the book Prayer by Ellen White:

“The Lord gives us the privilege of seeking Him individually in earnest prayer, of unburdening our souls to Him, keeping nothing from Him who has invited us, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ Oh, how grateful we should be that Jesus is willing and able to bear all our infirmities and strengthen and heal all our diseases if it will be for our good and for His glory.
‘Come unto Me,’ is His invitation. Whatever your anxieties and trials, spread out your case before the Lord.
There are few who rightly appreciate or improve the precious privilege of prayer. We should go to Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer. When we feel that we need the presence of Christ at every step, Satan will have little opportunity to intrude his temptations. It is his studied effort to keep us away from our best and most sympathizing friend. We should make no one our confidant but Jesus. We can safely commune with Him of all that is in our hearts.
Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.“

–{Prayer pg. 8

May each of us take time to pray to God, commune with Him, and connect with Him more and more deeply until He returns a second time to take us home! Let us pray for ourselves, and for each other, to be truly ready for that day when the trumpet of God will sound!
Amen! MARANATHA!