As I was walking and praying this morning, the Holy Spirit dropped this word into my spirit-suddenly. The definition of the word suddenly is “quickly and unexpectedly.” In my own very recent past I have encountered some dramatic suddenlies. About six weeks before Christmas, one of my best friends, who was 67 and a wonderful man of God, was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told him that without treatment he had about six months, with treatment maybe a year. Shortly after he began infusion treatments and about four weeks after that he died-suddenly. Last year my neighbors husband, who was about the same age as my friend had some pains. He went to the doctors and tests were taken. The day after they told him he had cancer, he died the following week-suddenly. Two weeks ago, by beloved four year old dog Jack got sick on the Friday. Took him to the vets, got blood work and meds, a day later he died-suddenly.

We are never very far away from suddenlies. They can strike out of the blue and plunge us into a certain kind of darkness. Yet there is another kind of suddenly. Suddenly in the upper room the Holy Spirit comes. Suddenly we who were one moment in darkness are flooded by the light of His presence. Given the nature of this life we saints should be more prepared for suddenlies than anyone else. The solid Rock upon which we stand is not shaken. Others who stand merely in this world can be shaken to their core and suffer irreparable damage. We who stand upon the Christ, who know Jesus intimately can never be destroyed by the circumstances of this world. We can surely suffer, but not like the world suffers. The world suffers alone and can be inconsolable. We have a comforter is that not right saints? His name is the Holy Spirit. The Lord says He would not leave us as orphans. No, He would send the Holy Spirit to us and by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus Himself would take up residence in our hearts and that is our strength. That is the source of our light when darkness threatens to consume us. He is the source of our peace and joy when we have suffered grievous loss. As long as we are found in Him.

“And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.” We are His temple brothers and sisters. It is up to us to continually seek Him in our every day walk. It is in the daily seeking of Him and the finding of Him that we strengthen ourselves and prepare ourselves not only for the suddenlies of this world but also of the end of this world which is soon upon us. And who will stand in that day? Who will be able to stand in the refiners fire? His saints. His saints full of His oil. His prepared saints. Oil not just in the lamp but in the vessel. Those who are intimately connected to the two olive trees of Zechariah which represent the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. To be intimately connected with our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit means that our lamps will never go out. We have an eternal source of power and light from the inexhaustible supplies of heaven itself. There shall be many suddenlies in the days to come and by them will come much darkness, but we, the bearers of the light shall shine greatly in the gross darkness.