Daily Devotionals by Ardith Keef

     There is that great old hymn, the first verse of which begins:
                  Ready to suffer grief or pain,
                  Ready  to stand the test. . .
      And the closing verse reads:
                  Ready to speak, ready to warn,
                  Ready o're souls to yearn.
                  Ready in life or ready in death. . .
      We're awfully quick to sing the words. (And I believe firmly in the singing of the hymn loudly!) But when the Soldier of the Cross has the words to that sort of hymn memorized in such a way that they can be presented to the Lord in prayer, it is a significant thing.
     Not many are really ready.
     What does ready mean? Firstly, it means willing. It means the decision has been made, and the Soldier will not turn back. It means he has presented himself to the Lord to be prepared for what ever the Master wants.
     That's quite a thing, especially considering noone can feel prepared when the thing actually happens.
     But there is much preparation in prayer when the Soldier presses to be changed according to God's Word, and the readiness is in the supernatural commitment the soldier will draw on when he finds himself the target of unfairness, misunderstanding or even devastating false accusation.
     The readiness can be brought to the front for others to see even in the death of a child, which is probably the most painful thing any parent can experience.
     Oh Soldier reading these words - go now and stand before Him. Tell Him outloud that He can do anything with your life, and ask Him to make the deep, deep and costly changes necessary.
     You will never regret it.