Are We Prepared?

Boy Scouts are known for always being prepared. Someone once said that luck is simply when preparation meets opportunity. Dancers will prepare for months for one recital. Athletes prepare or practice before they actually compete. Our kids and many amazing volunteers prepared for two months before we enjoyed their fantastic, forty-five-minute Christmas program. This month people will start preparing for our June Vacation Bible School. I could go on with how long people go to school to become doctors or teachers and more. It seems we often spend more time preparing for something than actually doing it. The reality is preparation is necessary and critical. However, as God loves to use our weakness to bring Him glory, spiritual preparation looks slightly different than what we see in the world around us.

You see David didn’t practice slaying giants for years before he faced Goliath. Daniel had no training as a lion tamer before he was thrown into the lion’s den. These men prepared but not the way the world would prepare. Their heart’s were prepared. We may never fully understand the immense power of prayer but it doesn’t take long to see it’s impact in our lives. We may not always see immediate answers to our prayers  but as we pray our hearts are being prepared.

Paul tells us in Galatians 6:14 that “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” I can think of no greater love you could show me than to lift me in your prayers to the Creator of the Universe. I’m convinced that as we pray for those around us God not only blesses them but softens our hearts toward them. He prepares us to be used by Him, for them, in very practical ways. Prayer draws us closer to God, unites us to each other and prepares us for opportunities to love our neighbors. We should practice it.