Are You Prepared?

Proverbs 21:31 - The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. 

In our day, many people seem to think that the world owes them something and that they are entitled to have anything they want without it costing them a dime, and once again, Proverbs clears away that nonsense and sets the record straight. Nothing in life comes out of the blue, instantaneously, or free; someone prepared ahead of time and someone paid a price. Scripture teaches us that we can not flippantly and lazily sit back and presume that safety and victory will be automatically ours. Even though God wills our safety and He wants our victory, there are laws of preparation that are necessary and vital.

The horse was an effective vehicle of war and these horses, as well as the men that rode them, were meticulously groomed for battle. Men did not assume that they would be victorious in battle if they did not first spend much time in preparation. As Christians, we understand that we are in a battle, but the battle is not a physical one, it is a fight of faith. So, we must do our part to prepare and get ready, and then we must trust in the Lord, because safety and victory is of the Lord, that is His part.

The word prepare means to be cut ahead of time. The life we live is not always easy, in fact, it is quite often difficult and hard. Preparation is one of our safeguards as we enter any conflict. Before a soldier is sent into the battle he is prepared ahead of time, he is put through the gauntlet until he learns the discipline of a warrior and earns the stripes on his shoulder. He spends weeks of gruelling training during bootcamp; he gets pushed and pulled, bumped and bruised and cut ahead of time. Before an Olympian competes in the games she is prepared, she cuts out a lot of valid activities to focus on her training. She must endure plenty of difficulty and sacrifice and lots of time and hardship. No doubt, during the training, accidents may happen in which injury occurs; her muscles will be bruised, her bones may be broken; she is tested before she is trusted; she is cut ahead of time. For both the soldier and the athlete, there is no reward for defeatists or quitters.

The deliberate cuts that come ahead of time prepare us for the unavoidable cuts that will come during the battle. And because we have been prepared, the hardships faced and wounds incurred during the battle will not stop us from finishing the fight with victory.

So the question necessarily arises; does God cut us? Well, hesitatingly, yes, but remember that the cuts of God are not what religious tradition has taught; they are not tragedy and disaster, or sickness and disease. Those are not the cuts of God for He is much more proficient than that. The cuts that God gives are clean and razor-sharp and are done primarily through His Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, and they are given under the skillful hand of the Holy Spirit. God does cut us, but He cuts us the way that an experienced orchardist prunes his trees. He cuts very carefully and with a distinct purpose, which is always for the benefit of the tree. God does cut us, but He cuts us the same way an expert surgeon cuts out a tumor. He cuts with a measured caution and with a meticulous accuracy, removing the dreaded enemy of our health and wellbeing. Cuts, cut-backs and, even cut-offs are sometimes necessary for the continued health of both trees and people.

    I once heard a successful leader say that if he had only a short time to accomplish a huge undertaking, he would spend the bulk of his time in preparation. Be encouraged, friends, do your part and get ready. Prepare ahead of time. Don’t rush the process. Remember that preparation is never wasted time, because only those who are properly prepared can ride out into the battles of life and confidently expect the Lord to keep them safe and give them victory.