Preparation
A Devotion
The Goodsoil Discipleship Ministry
By Bro. Andy Madonio
December 27, 1999
And after all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done,
Sennecherib King of Assyria came and invaded Judah.
2 Chronicles 32:1
What Hezekiah had so faithfully done was significant. What he had accomplished as Judah's king was to remove all the foreign idols from his land. What he had done was to cleanse the temple of God of all the idolatrous filth his father had accumulated in 16 previous years of rule, and re-institute the proper worship of Jehovah. His people again resumed the giving of tithes and offerings, the Levitical priesthood was rescued, and the Passover was celebrated for the first time in years.
The entire nation had been cleansed and began afresh to worship the God of their fathers. They had truly been reborn! Revival swept the land! And suddenly, with the last of the hallelujahs still on their lips, the powerful and dreaded enemy appears on their doorstep.
Why now Lord? Let us bask in this revival for just a moment. Everything was looking wonderful, the nation was prospering, the Lord was in His temple again, and now this! The most dreaded enemy of their time was preparing to attack. Had the Lord somehow overlooked their recent turnaround? Surely the noise of blessed worship and revival had reached His ears; it could not have gone unnoticed?
When times are quiet, firehouse crews are busy in preparation. They are cleaning and repairing their equipment; folding hoses, placing hats and coats at the ready, filling water tanks for the next time, and stowing ladders. In the militia, during peacetime, men are gathered and trained, they are outfitted with uniforms, armor is forged, weapons cleaned and made ready, and ammunition is stockpiled. In schools across the land, students routinely practice fire and tornado drills on nice sunny days.
Preparation has a purpose; it is not an end to itself. There will come days that will try us and test us, days that will reveal what we are truly made of. Those days are not necessarily scheduled, but they are inevitable, lurking somewhere directly in our path.
The Lord had prepared Hezekiah. The enemy did not attack until "after all" had been accomplished. Also note that the preparedness God accomplished was thru one who was "faithful". The unfaithful do not prepare. The Lord also prepares us today for battles 'in the heavenly realms.' Those who are faithful will be ready. Know for certain there is an enemy, and that because of that there will be a battle. Be a faithful disciple therefore and prepare with Jesus for that time.
