The sixth P in the The 10 P's of Trusting God to Overcome Fear Devotional.
In our ongoing study of the Ten P’s of Trusting in God to Overcome Fear, this month we will tackle God’s Preparedness.
God’s Preparedness starts at the beginning of the Bible. Genesis 1:1 tells us that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” If a person cannot get past this first verse of the Bible, they don’t believe God is the creator of the universe… then it’s worthless to continue to read, much less study the Bible because it doesn’t mean a thing.
So, if you believe what the Bible says is true, then the entire first chapter of Genesis shows us God’s meticulous planning and execution. God had an order in how He went about creating the universe. None of it was haphazard, or by chance. (Those of us who are planners and like organization can attribute those qualities to our creator.)
Throughout the Old Testament, we see God preparing situations and individuals wherein those people contributed to the foretelling of Jesus who would be the savior of mankind. A well-known verse, John 3:16, tells it all. Then, in 1 Peter 1:20, we know Jesus was foreordained before the foundation of the world. I’d say that was God preparing the world to receive His son, wouldn’t you? Long before Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God already knew and had plans for a savior. Knowing He had a plan beforehand, and it gives us a stark image of God’s foresight and love.
My puny brain cannot fathom how God can see the entire timeline of the world at once. I shake my head and hope to have the answer to that question when I’m in His presence.
The Bible has 66 books with 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. It was written over a 1500 year period through various authors who were inspired by God. What truly is amazing is how a person who was born seven hundred years prior to Jesus’s birth could write such a detailed description of Jesus’s death. In Psalm 22:16-18, David writes “For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Yes, David is talking about Jesus here, and it was prophetic. There are SO many references to Jesus–a vast number of them prophetic–in the OT that I challenge you to find and ponder them.
Jesus fulfilled those prophecies along with over three hundred others. The probability of one man fulfilling all of those prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. The number is staggering!
Peter Stoner, a mathematician and professor known for his work of applying the principles of probability to prophecies in the Bible said this “if you covered the state of Texas in silver dollars two feet deep and marked one of them, the chances of a blindfolded person picking the marked coin on the first try would be the same as the probability of one person fulfilling eight of these prophecies.” My imagination went wild with Stoner’s analogy. How about you?
God’s preparedness includes our lives. In Jer 29:11, (one of my favorite verses), God tells us he has a plan for our lives. A good one. Better than we could imagine. In Rom 8:28, God works all things together for good and for His purpose. Trusting God with the plans of our lives, even when we don’t understand it during those times of trials, requires faith.
Our physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met through God’s preparedness in Phil 4:19 and in Matt 6:25-34. (We’ve gone over God’s provision in the first devotion in this series, so I won’t go into detail about it.)
And finally, God’s preparedness includes preparation for the eternal destiny of those who are believers and have given their hearts and lives to Him. John 14:2-3 tells us God has prepared a place for us. (I believe He prepared it at the beginning of time.) And 1 Cor 2:9 tells us He has prepared things for those who love Him.
There is hope and an assurance of an eternal future with God. Personally, I can’t wait!
I encourage and challenge you to look up the verses which are only referenced in this devotional (and search for others). Look for the hand of God and His preparedness.
Ponder them and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to you. And finally, trust in God’s Preparedness for your life. Seek Him. Have a relationship with Him.
If you need prayer for anything or want to know more about how you can have a deeper relationship with Jesus, send me an email at info@seralynnlewis.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
First published in Seralynn Lewis’ Red Hearts Newsletter,Volume 24-14.