Hosanna Restoration Church

What do you think of when you hear the word prepare? Prepare of course indicates that an action is necessary. When there is a storm warning people do everything from boarding up windows to stocking up on food to getting wood in the house in case of a power outage; needless to say there are things that people do to prepare if they are wise.

John was telling people to prepare the way for the Lord. So the question is, “What are you preparing for?” When it comes to the Lord, some think they have done everything they need to do when they go to church. Others think they have done all they need to do when they have seen the light and been born again. Others think they can work their way into the Kingdom by a bunch of activity. Each of these has a place, but none of them are what John was talking about when He quoted Isaiah. These are things that are an overflow resulting from the Lord’s coming.

Just so you know, preparing for the Lord’s coming is not sitting around waiting for Him to appear again in the clouds. Preparing for the Lord’s coming is a daily thing, expecting Him to lead, protect, provide, and bless each and every day of our lives. John 1:16 says “From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. We too can point out that the whole world has been blessed by the grace of the God every day since the beginning of creation. However, it is not until we see the Truth of the Gospel that we really understand it.

So, are we preparing for only ourselves and our own pleasure? This of course is selfish. Of course God takes pleasure in our pleasure, but if we never reach out, we become like a black hole and God is not going to keep pouring into a black hole.

Preparing for others is good and generous, unless of course we are doing for works sake and expecting a plaque and recognition think somehow it makes us better in the Lord’s eyes. Remember Mary, she chose the best thing sitting at Jesus feet!

Of course what we are called to prepare for is the coming of the Lord. This is the ultimate preparation and it leads to a perfect balance of pleasure for ourselves, sharing with others, and advancing the Kingdom of God. We learn to enjoy the abundance of God. We discover that giving is even better than receiving. We become even more thankful and devoted to God and He in turn enlarges and accelerates the whole process until the planter overtakes the harvester! The picture I got as God spoke to me about this was like those motor cycles in a cage. The start slow with small circles and as they increase in the speed the circle grows until they go to every inch of their allotted space.

I then thought, “How much of my area am I occupying? What am I prepared to occupy?” So what are you preparing for? Our anticipation of the Lord’s presence at all times should lead us to declare the abundance of God and His faithfulness. Our confidence can draw people out the wilderness into His glorious light. Be prepared!