Something a friend said a little while ago stuck with me. She made the statement that she was glad she prayed and fasted long ago so that she has the strength she needs now to endure trials.
It reminded me of the remark the older generation says about 'sending up timber.' Meaning, they are praising, praying and sacrificing to God at all times - good and bad - in order that they will be able to draw blessings from above when they need them most.
I have come to see that it is easy to get comfortable in life with everyday routines and become presumptuous that all that is well will stay that way. I have also come to realize that the latter phrase is not so. Trials have a tendency to catch Christians when we are comfortable, when we are happy, when we have settled into a routine and/or when we have begun to take it all for granted. Although this is not the case for all Christians, it does happen frequently to many of us. As I look back at past and more recent experiences of my own, I can see that most of them which involved a trial or test came during one of the aforementioned scenarios.
While I cannot go back and do things differently in regards to praying and fasting, I can make good use of what I do know about the benefit of a steadfast prayer life. Sending up timber may be an old phrase but it certainly makes sense in this day and age. There is work, home, church, family, friends, and simply everyday life to manage.
The scriptures admonish Christians to "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58. We are also advised to be diligent in prayer "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36.
One other point I've found to be true in regards to prayer and trial is that Christians pray for God to increase our faith and make us stronger. As we pray for these things, it is often without the effort of studying the scriptures daily and praying about all things. Yes, we read and pray but there is a difference in what we do and what it means to be diligent. While God desires to answer our prayer for increased faith and strength, it sometimes has to come through a test or trial because of our slackness in bringing about the results through cultivating a closer walk with God on our own. Simply put, if we 'send up our timber before we need it', there is something from which to draw when heartaches, anguish, worry, etc. come.
****Thank you Luciana for reminding me to send up my timber.****
