Prepare

are you prepared?

we may ask, what do we need to prepare for? how do we prepare?

you know, we see preparation happening all around us. we also see those who aren’t prepared and the struggle that happens when events happen to those unprepared.

maybe we should be asking the question ‘who is preparing us?’

maybe we should be asking the question ‘who is preparing us?’

Preparing can be both a physical thing and a spiritual thing.

this can be a physical thing or a spiritual thing.

thinking about physical preparations....

the story of Joseph is interesting where Joseph has the insight from God about Pharaoh's dream that a famine is coming and he orders the storehouses to be full in preparation for the hard times. physically it is wise to prepare for the future and scripture certainly supports that. We see in the life of Joseph how because of preparing ahead, he got to bless many, along with his family.

We see many people that get prepared for physical things in their world even down to the food they eat and the clothes they wear. People prepare for their next day or some look ahead to 5 or 10 years down the road. We can get many things prepared.

Preparation is simply forethought and action for a future event. I spend many hours every week preparing for Sunday morning. I would certainly not dare to get up here without study and prayer. If we took the time to reflect, we would see in all our lives, how much we prepare. Obviously we all either have prepared or are preparing for winter! it’s coming...

It is good to prepare for physical things in our lives, but this morning I am going in the spiritual direction. And in that, we can see how we can prepare ourselves, but even more, we can also see how God is preparing us. is one of those Psalms that speaks in this way. especially verse 5. let’s look and see what God is speaking to us this morning.

Psalm 23:1–6 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:1

what a beautiful and confident Psalm we hear from David. this is a picture of the Lord being the Good Shepherd and leading to such goodness, even when the writer is walking in the worst of the worst, the valley of the shadow of death, God has given all he needs to get through. Wow!

then we see verse 5. a change in picture from Shepherd to home owner with a guest.

how confident is the writer in this Psalm when we look at verse 5.

Psalm 23

Psalm 23:5 ESV

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

we see three signs here all pointing to fullness in the preparedness.

it is God that is setting a table for the writer in the presence of his enemies.

also, He is anointing the head with oil

and filling the cup so much that he has an overflowing cup.

these pictures of the physical are meant to be understood in the spiritual.

we can see God as the House owner that is preparing and providing all that the guest needs.

protection, because to set a table in the presence of enemies would mean the guest was so completely protected by the owner that the guest could sit down and eat..... an opposite position to needing to protect oneself but completely taken care of and watched over by the Host.

preparing a table symbolizes the activity of getting together the necessary things. the things that nourish life and give strength. It is the Father doing this. and all with the idea of being before enemies. it implies that the enemy can’t do what they want to and also, that the guest has nothing to fear because the owner has everyone protected. this is really more than the last verse of making it through the valley, but this verse is talking about incredible triumph, victory. What a powerful place God provides for His people. His people are in a win win situation. God is for us so who can be against us!

also, that the guest has nothing to fear because the owner has everyone protected.

Joy, because the anointing is symbolic of a time of refreshing and happiness. in those days, the dry and dusty air would cause a persons skin to

the anointing refers to the wealth and prosperity that is given from the home owner to the guest for blessing and joy. it was also very dry in the biblical times and people had dry skin. oil helped the healing of the skin and to stay healthy. this keeping us healthy, spiritually speaking is what God is wanting to do in us. And God has the oil stored up to pour out on us.

and the cup overflowing..... what a symbol of being filled so much that there is excess. there is more than enough. This too is showing how the Father has more than enough. He has it to give because He is prepared. He is pouring it out to overflow.

think about this for your life. our relationship with the our Heavenly Father..... the air we breathe, the warmth in the summer, and the trees in the winter for heat, the abundance of food, all prepared ahead of time for you and I.

And spiritually, He is preparing to feed you, to care for you, to the point that you are overflowing with what He gives. I believe God is a giving God. And He has already prepared to give us more than enough.

Proverbs tells us over and over...

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 19:9 ESV

9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.

in other words, we can plan but the Lord is always in control, He always knows the right move. So it is essential that before we plan or prepare in life, that we seek the Lord first for His plan.

I will leave you with this.

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:3 ESV

3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

you know, going to Him and receiving from Him is the first step....and then we have so much to do, but it is all about Him. He has the plan and the means to make it happen.

We need God in everything.....especially our plans.

a good question is this. Do we know how much we need Him during our preparing? If so, lets sing about it.