The Powerful Purpose of Preparing

Share Now

My gardening friends are getting their gardens ready for spring.
It’s time for gardeners to prepare their gardens for spring. 

Not long ago, I mentioned a book of sermons I was reading. I got back to it last week and enjoyed reading one with a not-so-great, but descriptive title: “Five Old Women.” It follows a sermon titled “Five Old Men.” In the section about Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, the author reminds us of the description God gives us of both Elizabeth and Zacharias:

“They were both righteous in the sight of God,
walking blamelessly in all the commandments
and requirements of the Lord.”
Luke 1:6

The author talks about the fact that Elizabeth was prepared to take on the responsibility of parenting John the Baptist. For decades she had been following God faithfully. Then, when the time was right, she was ready to take on the responsibility to rear the one who would prepare the way for Jesus.

It struck me when I thought of the word prepare that this is exactly what you are doing. You are helping your children be prepared for the work God has for them to do. What a powerful purpose! Now that’s something worth getting up in the morning to do. As we learn in Psalm 78, preparation and faithfulness go hand in hand.

We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
For He established a testimony in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach them to their children,
That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
That they should put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Psalm 78:4-8

Share Now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *