Day 23: It Will Not Be Taken

I still remember pacing back and forth in an old church building in England that served as a prayer room. My hands were clammy from the cold. The room was only dimly lit, further illuminated by stained glass windows. As a full-time prayer missionary my days were long. There was nothing else to do but to pray and often there was no one else in the room but the iPod. I remember the Holy Spirit whispering to me during one of these times the words of the much coveted promise to Mary in Luke 10:39 "it shall not be taken away from her." In that moment I was not so sure if it was a promise or a warning...

If we set our heart to pursue the one thing there will be opposition. There will be raised eyebrows. There will be questions and accusations from within and without. But with our choice comes His promise to defend the wisdom of our choice. If we say yes He will fight for our ability to continue to say yes. His protection does not always come in the form of a full-time prayer ministry assignment. He often uses a spouse or the lack thereof, children, sickness, a job, financial challenges or closed doors to hedge us in.

With our choice comes His promise. There are many promised blessings in Scripture: "If you do this I will bless you with that." But the commandment of all commandments is under special divine protection. As far as I know it is the only promise uttered by the lips of Jesus which blessing consists of the continued ability to choose and experience it: "It will not be taken."