Day 38 - You Prepare
We ask God to explain the present and pray for quick answers, but God is developing patient hearts.
Day 38 – You Prepare
Psalm 23:5 — “You prepare a table…”
Have you ever looked back on your life and realized that God was doing something you couldn’t see at the time?
At the time, you might have been disappointed. But after time, you began to see that it had quietly shaped you, strengthened your faith and prepared you for something still ahead.
David chose a word that speaks of careful planning. It means to arrange, set in order or prepare deliberately. It described things that were thoughtfully arranged—not hastily assembled. It described the arranging of the table in the Tabernacle, the wood on an altar and even troops for battle.
In every case, the idea is the same. Nothing is accidental. Everything has been intentionally prepared.
The green pastures were not random blessings. The quiet waters were not pleasant interruptions. Even the valley was not a wrong turn. Looking back, David can see that the Shepherd was preparing him every step of the way.
That’s how God works.
Joseph didn’t understand why God allowed him to be sold into slavery or forgotten in prison. Moses could hardly have imagined that 40 quiet years as a herdsman would prepare him to lead a nation.
At the time, those experiences seemed like abandonment or loss. In God’s hands, they were preparation.
The same is true for us.
We ask God to explain the present and pray for quick answers, but God is developing patient hearts. He sees the entire journey while we only see the next bend in the path.
That’s why David can speak with such confidence. He knows that God never improvises. Nothing catches Him by surprise. He has already gone before us.
Anyone who has hosted a family gathering knows that the meal doesn’t begin when the guests arrive. The preparation started long before anyone sat down. Groceries were purchased, recipes selected, tables arranged. The guests enjoy the evening because someone else has been preparing for it all along.
That’s a picture of God’s care for us. Long before we see His hand, He’s already at work.
Romans 8:28
“…God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
