Preparation

20 February 2010

Preparation

I was reading in First Samuel and came to that part where David and his men had just arrived home; found their city burned to the ground, and their families gone. They wept until they had no more strength to weep.

In addition to that, it says in First Samuel 30:6, "Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and daughters. [Wives were mentioned in the previous verse.] But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

How did David do that? Well, simply put, he prayed. (Then, after getting the assurance that the Lord was with them, he and his men rescued their families and possessions.)

At this same time, other portions of scripture came to my mind that address the storms of life.

The first was the parable of the house built upon the rock vs. the house built upon the sand; Matthew 7:24-27. We can see that the wise man planned ahead. We are told here to strengthen our foundation by hearing the words of God and doing them.


The second was the parable of the seeds; Mark 4:3-8. The seed sown on stony ground withered away when the sun scorched it. In verse 17, Jesus interprets the scorching as tribulation or persecution. So, we need deep roots.

The third was in Proverbs 6:6-11, which starts by saying, "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways...", and ends by saying, "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep-- So shall your poverty come upon you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man."

So, we see the secret to weathering the storm is all in the preparation. When the storms come, (and they most certainly will, for Job 5:7 says; "Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.") there will be no time to build a defense.

So how do we prepare?

1. Get yourself into the Word of God (the Bible) and get the Word of God into you. That sounds trite, but it's absolutely true. Meditate on it. Ponder it. Memorize if you can. Most people can. It will change you. Pay very close attention to the promises in the Word, especially so if they come alive to you. If they come alive to you, write them in your journal.

2. Get close to the Lord Himself. Seek His face, His beautiful face. How? (I'm speaking to those who have established a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ already.) "Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4. "Always" here means always, even when circumstances are ugly. This is said another way in First Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice evermore (always), pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Singing is a very useful tool in enabling us to rejoice in the Lord. Whatever method you use, whether it be verbal praise, song, or dance, do it with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.

3. Review your journal. Remind yourself of all that the Lord God has saved and delivered you from in the past, how He has answered your prayers, and how He has shown Himself strong on your behalf. This I call "witnessing to yourself".

4. Spend a good amount of time with those people that will build you up in the faith. We need to receive strength from each other. We need to hear brothers and sisters share their stories of God's goodness, His grace, and His deliverance. Also, they need to hear us tell of the blessings we have received from the hand of the Lord.

OK now, you get to choose. It's up to you to prepare for the storms of life. Choose life.

Larry Carroll