Preparation

“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in

prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”

Daniel 9:3

 

 

I don’t know about you but there are certain professions that I really expect to be prepared with the skills and abilities necessary to expertly deliver on what they are licensed to practice.

I likely wouldn’t board a plane if I knew the pilot’s license was earned through a mail order service. I probably would leave the hospital in a dead run if moments before my surgery the doctor confided that he was really a veterinarian but then said:

“Hey, isn’t all the same once I open you up!”

Preparation and training are necessary to do a job well.

Some people might say “All you need is the anointing, preparation and training is not necessary!”

I wonder what they would do with II Timothy 2:15 (among many others)

“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.”

Wow – that sounds like preparation and training to me!

You could even argue that David the shepherd was in training for Goliath when he killed the lion and the bear to protect his sheep.

In our verse today Daniel is preparing himself spiritually as he prayed for God’s people.

What about you?

How are you preparing for the things God has called you to do?

What steps are you taking to see the words spoken to you fulfilled?

I find an interesting verse in Hebrews that reinforces this thought -

“Hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me [to offer];”

Hebrews 10:5

The Father knew what the Son must do when He came to the earth so part of the preparation was to prepare a body for Jesus.

Have you sought God about those prophetic words?

How might you prepare as an individual?

How might a church prepare as God calls them to fulfill His purposes in their generation?

Don’t run off unprepared.

Seek God’s direction to tailor the preparation to the calling.

He is faithful who has called you…

He prepares us best because He knows our future!