Preparation is the process of making something ready to be used or for use. For instance, during my time in the service, we would need to prepare our gear before we went to the field for training.
Not only did I have to prepare my personal gear, uniforms, personal hygiene equipment, sleeping bag, tent, etc., but I also had to prepare my field medical gear to ensure I had enough medical supplies to cover any injuries or illnesses that might occur.
I could not nor dare not go to field training without a complete medical bag. The men’s lives may depend upon my actions and what I had or did not have to provide emergency field medical care.
Even in our civilian jobs, we have to prepare ourselves for whatever work that we do, electrical, carpentry, masonry, food service, legal, fire service, police, etc. The list of job titles is endless. No matter what our walk in this life is, we all must prepare ourselves for something.
No one goes and gets married without preparation. No one buys a house, an automobile, appliances, or any number of things without some type of preparation.
Prayer Is Key in Preparation
The scripture I look at is Matthew 14:23. I call it the “Three A’s.” Looking for solitude was a significant need for Jesus. You can also see it in Mark 6:46-56 and John 6:15-21. He made room in his bustling timetable to be separated from everyone else and be with God the Father.
Investing energy with God in petition and prayer supports an imperative relationship and prepares us to address life’s difficulties and battles. We need to foster the control of investing energy alone with God. It will assist us with developing our spiritual growth and become increasingly more like Christ.
You see, Jesus had just completed an astonishing miracle (Matthew 14:13-22) and was ready for some alone time. All the more explicitly, Jesus needed time alone with His Father in petition.
But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children (Matthew 14:19-21).
Matthew does not mention to us what Jesus prayed about, yet the way that Jesus knew about His requirement for supplication, even as the Son of God, ought to persuade the individuals who follow Him to search out an ideal opportunity to pray, just as he did.
Jesus was still alone “when evening came.” The time frame known as “evening” in this period started in the late evening and kept going through nightfall. Evening had effectively begun when the disciples initially raised the issue of nourishment for the people (Matthew 14:15), so Matthew most likely means this was approaching nightfall.
Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves” (Matthew 14:15).
It was late in the evening as Jesus prayed alone on the mountain. At this point, the disciples were busy paddling on a harsh wind-swept sea as they worked their direction across the Sea of Galilee.
We must find time to put everything away. We must set ourselves apart from everything and get alone with the Lord.
Ever have a worry or a concern about something, or someone, or some specific issue? We all have at some point in our lives, and undoubtedly, we will again. What is one of the first things a mature spiritual person responds to you with when you bring that concern to him or her? for certain, that person may say, “Did you pray about it”?
We have been given a task, whether it be a message or sermon, a 30-minute class, 10-minute devotional. It could be for a group with as few as five or as many as a hundred or more.
When we are in right standing with God, our first step in the “preparation time” is to pray. “Lord, here am I, send me. Make me a willing vessel. Use me Lord. What is it these people need to hear from You?”
Spending Time Alone with God Is Necessary
Spending time alone with God is our time to reflect on ourselves and our actions. Spending time alone with God is the best way to know God more closely. We cannot neglect our alone time with God, for if we neglect spending time with God, we become cold and indifferent. Our spiritual walk becomes less holy. The light of Christ is hidden and will not shine.
How many of us while dating our spouses, or future spouses, had that longing in our hearts to be with our loved ones? While at work or at school and our minds would drift as we thought of that person.
We could not wait to get home and see them, or to talk on the phone so we could hear our loved one’s voice. We spend time with our loved one, not necessarily talking about anything important.
We just want to know more about them. Talking with that person brings peace and comfort, and our hearts yearn to be with that person. If we do not talk with our loved one, we are not showing them love.
Like some others have stated, preparation time, prayer time could be first thing in the morning, late in the evening, or mid-day. You may even lose sleep due to your preparation time. However, in the long run, it is worth it.
Jesus spent time alone with God the Father in prayer, and many others in the Bible spent time alone with God. We need to take time to get away, get a part, get alone, and put aside all distractions so we can hear every word God has for us. Granted He may not have the word we are expecting, but it is our duty to listen.
Why Does This Matter?
There is an old song that says, “Take time for Jesus, he always takes time for you… when the Lord is looking through the Book of Life and your name He cannot find, what if He said I meant to write it there, but I really didn’t have the time.”
So how important is our preparation time? Have we set our preparation time on a daily basis to spend time with the Lord?
For further reading:
What Is the Love Language of Quality Time?
Why Is Spiritual Discipline Important?
Why Is Reading the Bible an Important Part of the Christian Life?
Are Daily Devotions in the Bible?
When We Go to God Last Instead of First with Our Hearts
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