God’s Preparation

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. — Hebrews 5:7-10

I’m back again with another nugget. Are you ready?

 Have you noticed how more people seem to be going through more trials than normal these days? Are you one of them? We face enough conflict and trial in our spiritually unequal marriages as it is, then throw in a few more issues, and we can feel like we’re at the end of our ropes.

I want to share a promise with you, one ready to be dug out of the Scripture I shared above. Specifically, look at the part I bolded. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you. Just come back when you’re done.

This little nugget shows us that even Jesus was prepared for what God, his Father, had designated for him to do. Jesus wasn’t placed on this earth ready to fulfill his destiny. God used his first 30 years to prepare him for his ministry and greatest moment of glory.

From his birth to his death, Christ’s life was a series of trials for preparation. Though we know few details of his life growing up, I think we know God well enough that he wouldn’t have made his son’s life easy. Like us, he learned obedience and submission from his sufferings, as it says in verse eight. Perhaps this represents the human side of his deity, one so critical to his sacrifice being legitimized in our very human and broken states. We more easily identify and welcome someone who knows and understands our own trials by experience.

I don’t know. What I do know is that if God prepared his Son for what lay ahead of him and equipped him for every step, we can expect the same preparation as his children and coheirs with Christ. Whether it’s persevering through the storms in our life or meeting the challenge of a new calling God is leading us to, God will equip and prepare us just like He did Jesus.

In our lives of trials, we can look to Jesus and see the pattern of preparation. And perhaps therein lies our joy—in knowing God the Father loves us that much, like his Son, and is preparing us for the destiny he has planned for each of us.

What I do know and have lived is the joy of looking back through those trials and seeing how God meant every one for good. He not only prepared me for the trials, he used each one as preparation for ministry and service.

Whatever difficulties you’re facing today, walk forward in the trust and belief that God has prepared you for it. He’s set everything in place to bring you though. He’s equipped each of us to walk the path of being unequally yoked and to persevere no matter how long the journey may take.

We just have to believe and ask for God to show us this great mystery. Go ahead and ask him. I’ll be here waiting to hear how God prepared you for your journey.

Praying and believing,
Dineen