Luke 22:31-32 — “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Everywhere we go there are warnings directing us of upcoming danger. A stop sign warns of oncoming traffic. A growl alerts a prowler that a potential target home has a watchdog. And a closed barrier warns of an open or rising drawbridge.

My childhood hometown is located along a river. As a child I remember listening to the deep, lonesome sound of barges pulling freight along the channel. Sometimes when traveling across town our family would be forced to wait at a bridge while a boat lumbered through the passing.

A warning barrier would come down and the drawbridge would rise into the air, allowing the boat to pass. When all was clear the steel bridge would slowly drop into position again and we would follow the traffic over the moveable road to the other side of the river.

Drawbridges have always given me a sense of fearful wonder. They are amazing, but also a bit scary.

I recently read an article that highlighted one of my deepest fears as a child. A driver was forced to jump his SUV across a rising drawbridge in order to avoid a long drop into the water. How could this happen?

Reading further, I found the answer. The man who performed this stunt did so because he failed to heed the warning. Distracted by his GPS, this man missed seeing the barrier coming down, crashed through it and was forced to gun his engine to soar over the rising bridge. A disaster was averted by only a few inches.

Before Jesus’ death, He warned His disciples of upcoming temptation and gave them a way to escape. But His followers ignored the warning.

Instead of waiting and praying with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, the weary followers fell asleep at the wheel and cruised through the warning barrier, unaware of the danger ahead.

Soon the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. His disciples, unprepared for the disaster, reacted by trying to fight and running away. Late that night Peter did the unthinkable and denied the One he loved so much.

The Bible is full of warnings for us, too. They are there to make us aware of danger and to protect us from making damaging decisions. We must stay alert and heed these warnings if we want to avoid disaster.

The alternative could be scary. It may be denying the Lord – or even making a chilling jump across an open drawbridge.

Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her messages to her children with Farm World. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com