Matthew 25:1–13 NKJV ~ “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. [2] Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. [3] Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, [4] but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. [5] But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. [6] “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ [7] Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ [9] But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. [11] “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ [12] But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ [13] “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.“
The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 teaches us more than the necessity of readiness; it reveals a distinction between those who merely know about the Bridegroom and those who are intimately connected to His heart. Five of them were wise, not because they were better, but because they were prepared. They carried extra oil. They lived with expectancy. They understood that midnight might come suddenly, but it wouldn’t come silently. When it came, it would divide those who were ready from those who were religious. This parable is not just about timing, it’s about relationship.
To be ready at midnight means having a posture of perpetual preparation. The wise virgins weren’t just holding lamps; they had what it took to sustain their light when others ran out. That oil symbolizes intimacy, time spent in prayer, worship, obedience, and daily fellowship with God. You don’t get oil from attending services alone; you get it in the secret place, where lamps are trimmed and hearts are tuned. You get it by knowing the heartbeat of the One who is coming, not just the headlines about His arrival.
When the cry came, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!” It was too late to go and get more oil. The tragedy was not that the foolish virgins didn’t have lamps. They did. It was that their lamps had no substance, no power to last when it mattered most. In today’s terms, it’s possible to have a form of godliness without power, to know His Word without knowing His Will, and to speak His Name without understanding His nature. That kind of faith won’t carry you through the midnight cry.
Knowing His heart means you don’t just wait on Him, you walk with Him. You don’t just seek His hand, you lean into His whispers. When others are content quoting scriptures, you are living them. You’re not only singing songs about Him, you’re becoming a vessel for Him. You carry oil because you carry a relationship, not a reputation. You’ve learned to be still long enough to hear what others miss and to follow even when He leads through unfamiliar paths. Midnight is symbolic of transition, a shift in the spirit, a change in atmosphere. It’s the hour when things either break open or break down. For the prepared, midnight is not terrifying, it’s transformational. For those who are ready, it’s not too late, it’s right on time. The oil you’ve cultivated in secret becomes your passport into the promise. The door that opens isn’t for the one who shouts the loudest, but for the one whose flame is still burning.
When the Bridegroom said, “I know you not,” it was not because He didn’t recognize them by face, it was because He didn’t know them by intimacy. That is the sobering message of this parable. The time to know Him is not when the door is closing. The time is now. Do you know His heart? Are you in rhythm with His Spirit? Has His Presence become your priority or just a periodic pursuit? Being ready means that your yes to God isn’t conditional. It’s continual. You don’t run out of oil because you’ve made space in your life to be filled daily. You’re not scrambling at the sound of the cry because you’ve been living in anticipation of it. It’s not about fear of being locked out, it’s about the desire to be let in to the glory, into the joy, into the celebration of His appearing.
Are you ready? Is your oil pure? Are you trimmed, filled, and lit? Now is the time to know Him deeply. To cry not just for more information, but for impartation. To desire not just to serve Him but to be with Him. The cry will come at midnight, beloved. And when it does, may your heart be found burning, not just with borrowed words, but with the oil of a life lived close to the Bridegroom’s heart.
Let’s Pray:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I come before You with a heart that desires to be ready. Not just ready to see You, but ready to know You. I don’t want to live off borrowed oil, secondhand faith, or shallow encounters. I want to walk in the fullness of Your presence and carry the kind of oil that lasts through every delay and every dark season. Teach me what it means to abide. Teach me to trim my lamp daily, to seek You beyond the surface, to crave You more than outcomes. Lord, I repent for every moment I allowed my lamp to grow dim. I repent for busying myself with things that distracted me from intimacy with You. I lay down the performance, the pride, the procrastination, and the pretense. Fill me again. Anoint me again. Let my heart beat with Yours. Let my spirit respond to Your whisper. Don’t let me miss the hour of visitation because I was not positioned in devotion. God, awaken in me a holy urgency. May I not sleep in this season of preparation. May I not be caught unready when You call. Give me discernment to see what others overlook. Give me grace to wait even when it seems like nothing is moving. Keep me in alignment with Your Word, with Your ways, and with Your will. Let my life be a lamp, and my obedience the oil that fuels it. Father, I ask for a deeper hunger, one that drives me into Your presence, not just for what You can give, but for who You are. Birth in me a cry that cannot be silenced, a pursuit that cannot be quenched. Help me to walk daily as if You could come at any moment, not out of fear, but out of deep love and longing. Thank You, Lord, that You are not looking for perfection but for preparation. You are seeking a people whose hearts burn for You. And I want to be one whose flame is still lit when the cry is heard. I say yes to the midnight call. I say yes to the refining oil. I say yes to knowing Your heart above all else. Let my relationship with You be more than what I know, it must be who I am. Let the light I carry come from time spent in the secret place. I declare I am not only a hearer of the Word but a lover of the One who speaks. I am ready, not because of my strength, but because I’ve stayed close to Yours. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen!
Blessings…
Love, Dr. Jean
