2 Preach the word; BE PREPARED IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON; 2 Timothy 4
What might Paul mean when he says to be ‘Prepared’?
On the 15th January 2019 there was a terrorist attack on a large, luxury complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Hundreds of people were trapped within the complex as the gunmen fired AK47 rifles and detonated explosives. Local people and international visitors alike had to hide in fear of their lives. An unknown person hiding in the Dusit D2 complex made a phone call to a man called Christian Craighead (Interesting first name!) and asked for help. That single call probably saved hundreds of lives. Christian Craighead was a Special Air Service (SAS) soldier in Kenya helping train their special forces.
Christian was nearby and drove immediately to the complex. He put on body armour, armed himself with several weapons from his car and entered the area. He had no intelligence about the number of terrorists in the buildings. I should also say that he requested permission from British Government officials to enter the complex and help the people trapped there. Believers should also seek permission before engaging our enemies!
He helped wounded civilians and multiple other people to safety, returning frequently to the area alone. Again we could draw parallels with the Church today.
A young American woman, Meyli Chapin was rescued after many hours hiding alone in her bedroom. She knew nothing about the lone SAS soldier who led the rescue of the hostages, but learned of him later from her husband. She then met him in a hotel in America a year after the event. Some of her comments on being interviewed about her experience, “You wouldn’t have known what he did, he was so humble and easygoing.” “My brother still has a sister, my parents a daughter and my now husband a wife and that’s just me. Think of the impact he had on so many others, 700 people escaped unharmed!” But perhaps her most telling remark was that, “If Christian hadn’t gone in (His Choice, he wasn’t ordered to do it) WE WEREN’T GETTING RESCUED! There was no one else coming to help us.”
David turned the tables on the Philistines the day he slew Goliath. His courage broke the fear of their enemy. Christian’s bravery in going in and out to rescue people changed the atmosphere to one of hope for those trapped by the gunmen. He was later awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, second highest in the UK for his bravery. (He killed two terrorists while securing a building) Twenty Kenyan citizens died, one American and one British South African, but it could have been much worse.
Christian was nearing the end of his long army career when this happened. Meyli Chapin said it was as if he’d trained for it his whole life. But even at the end of his military service, Christian kept himself very fit and practiced with his weapons regularly. He was mentally and physically prepared for the unexpected task before him.
Could we say the same as Christian Craighead? Are we fit to serve the Lord today and do we know our weapons? Paul told Timothy TO BE READY in all circumstances! We live in uncertain times and the Lord needs a people who will stand for and with Him, even alone. Some food for thought today.
God bless and keep you.