What Are You Prepared For?

After Jesus died on the cross, we pick up this scripture in Luke 23:56-And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luke 24:1-Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them. Notice the word 'prepared.' Just what were they 'prepared' for? They were prepared for what they believed. They believed that Jesus was dead and that all of their hopes for a brighter day, a better life and great fellowship with a tremendous man of God were all gone. (Do you somehow feel a shout coming on? Not yet? Stick around.) After all, that's what it looked like. All of the natural evidence was there. Three days ago, they saw Him mocked, beaten and crucified. They saw Him wrapped in a burial shroud and taken to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea. They were preparing for the 'Well, I guess the Word of God was just too good to be true" that most Christians believe in.
However, they were sadly disappointed when they got to the grave. Jesus wasn't there. Two men in white appearel were. They told the ladies, "remember how He spake unto you." Two men on the road to Emmaus were moaning and groaning about what it "looked like." Jesus started walking with them and let them moan and groan for a while and then He said, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: In other words, why didn't you believe the prophecy about me instead of what you saw with your own eyes? Later on, when Jesus appeared in the middle of the room where His disciples were sitting, moaning and groaning, He said, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
Guess what, folks? Jesus expected them to have been acting like the Word of God was true in the very middle of "It really doesn't look like it." We spend the majority of our time preparing ourselves for "what it looks like" instead of what the Word of God said it was going to be. Jesus scolded these folks for acting like sinners. All the sinners believed that Jesus was finished. His followers believed the same thing.
Think about about this. What was God thinking about when He allowed His only begotten Son to be arrested, beaten and crucified. Think, think, THINK!!!! He was thinking, "Yep, the High Priest and the Romans fell for it hook, line and sinker, just like I planned it. Now, satan will be completely destroyed. This is the day I have been waiting for." What is inconceivable to us was God's plan all along. He never got nervous. He never got an ulcer. As a matter of fact, you might say that He was "prepared" for it. Please try your best and THINK, THINK, THINK. God spent 400 years of never speaking to His people to let them drift into the religious mindset they were in. He spent years and years of raising up a brutal Roman nation and taught them a specific type of horrible death called the crucifixion. However, He was NOT "preparing" to kill Jesus. 1 John 3:8-For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. He was "preparing" to destroy the enemy of all creation by raising His Son from the dead. Jesus was "prepared" to go through death because He read and believed His Father's Word on the subject. His Father never, never, never said that He would leave Him in the grave or let the torture go on forever. Jesus "prepared" Himself by meditating on everything His Father ever said.
If the people actually believed the Word instead of what it looked like, they would have
"prepared" a worship service of shouting, singing, playing tamborines and dancing around the cross and praising God that His Word was true. They would have "prepared" two all night Praise Vigils outside of the tomb. The news that would have been on everyone's lips would have been, "Come watch Him when He rises from the dead. It's the Word of God coming true before your very eyes. Everyone come and see this miracle. You don't want to miss it." You talk about a Holy Ghost revival/riot there would have been one.
I can hear you saying it right now. "You're right, Bro. Henry. If I had been there, I would have been singing and shouting until I lost my voice. Then I would have danced so hard that I would have worn holes in my shoes. I would have gone to all of my loved ones and did whatever I had to do to get them to see the power of God unfolded right before their very eyes." Do you know what else you would have done? You would have fixed enough sandwiches and snacks for the couple of days' wait. You would have brought a lawn chair or two, blankets and pillows, cameras and recorders. Unlike the ladies in Luke 23 and 24, you would have "prepared" for a miracle instead of "preparing" for His death. All because we were convinced that God's Word was true.

Now. Do you believe God's Word about your current situation? Or, do you feel trapped and think that there is no way out? Faith in God's Word doesn't rely on 'it doesn't look like' to get it's answer. It merely relies on the fact that God loves us dearly and He meant every Word that He said. What we need to do as individuals is "prepare" ourselves for His Word coming to pass. We need to praise Him in advance for every need to be met. We need to rejoice that our unsaved loved ones are coming to Him and being filled with His Presence. We need to get excited about revival whether we are in one right now or not. My challenge to you is, find in God's Word what He has said about your situation. Believe that it will come to pass and begin giving Him praise.