Insights

“Prepare and anticipate because the hard times are here. Hold on to your resources and learn survival skills. Be aggressive and take every opportunity while guarding your thoughts and feelings. Care for your health. Listen, sing, read, connect, and surround yourself with friends but learn to plan, pursue, and brace for the impact. These are points on how you should brave the storm of life.”

• -J. Morillo

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Prepare and Anticipate

"Prepare"

         The Book of Psalm 144:1 says, "Praise be the Lord, my rock (strength), which teacheth (prepares) my hands for war (to war), and my fingers (to fight) for battle…"(KJV). These are facts that David wants to convey to his reader, temple attendees, and worshippers. It shows who you should rely on in this world. He is referring to an active and ever-present being. God is his strength, and He defends those who seek Him. Experientially, David may have in mind the dangers of nature, wild animals, and people. He also knows the risks of losing his sheep if they are not brought inside these caves during emergencies. Now, David realizes that God does all the caring and leading that causes him to survive. King David braved his storms of life by trusting the Lord. He won his fights against his enemies because the Lord is his strength, a "rock" of his salvation. Geographically, these massive rock formations and secret caves serve as hiding and resting place for shepherds and travelers who know how to find them. When a storm passes their way, it guarantees that they can survive and continue on their travel the next day. David was very familiar with these caves because he was a shepherd before becoming a King. He metaphorically declares that God's strength is a sure source of protection in life. He historically experienced it. So, by experience, David tells you to believe and never trust yourself in your battles in life. God is the very source of all the things that are around you and caused them to exist for you.

Then David added that the Lord "teacheth my hands to war." David acknowledges the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord that "teaches," and this phrase means an act to educate. Knowledge awakens man. It improves his consciousness. David had in mind his shepherd days when he was young and the skills he developed throughout those years, the athletic body for climbing the hills, and the numerous travels he does along dangerous cliffs and valleys as he leads the flock safely back to their cage. It is all surviving with the Lord. David said it is all the Lord that framed his leadership skills as he protects the lives of the sheep. He attributed this ability to the Lord. The hands of the Lord were there and prepared him to survive for the kind of life that he has to face later on. 

David learned a pattern in the wild where the lions, wolves, and other predators have the same purpose in mind and it is to steal and destroy. Like the rest, these lions rely on their instinct and strength, and they attack the weak. David learned that what attracts them to come and lock their target, lies in their nature to survive. In the jungle, both the shepherd and the predator observe each other and seizes the most opportune time to take advantage. You either flee or fight back. The rule is “survival of the fittest,” and if you are not fit, you will not make it. So, David had to learn the art of war. He has to be decisive, courageous, patient, and active while in the wild. He also learned to use his weapon, the rod, staff, and the sling. This shepherd studied the physical features of the land, including its atmosphere, the wild, and human activity as they affect the existence of his sheep. He became a learned tactical and strategic planner in the wild, and all of these prepared him to be the most successful King of Israel. 

Prepare yourself. There are battles in life, and whether you like it or not, life is not about sitting and relaxing. Enemies look for prey, and they are in the business of selecting and locking who to attack and when. When you look at these days, you would see that threats to our existence are getting stronger and more prominent, which is brought about by the increase of population, control of trades, and manipulation of science and technology.

Reality demands that you work outside of your comfort zone for growth and development. You have to "lead the sheep," "explore the land," and build your confidence. Your resources come from the field's produce, meaning you must have a source of income. You must know what you need to do and not waste time and energy pursuing unnecessary things. You see, needs drive life, and you must know what you need and are worthy of your attention. Do not waste your time.

The fact is, no one can give you time because time is fixed and linear. It is not cyclical like the clocks on the wall. It never returns nor waits because "waves do not wait for no one." This Solomonic knowledge is written in Proverbs 24:27 that says, "Prepare thy work without and make fit for thyself in the field, and afterward build thine house." That's right, it says "prepare" yourself to work, and its output will bring you closer to the realization of your dream. Work requires skills, qualifications, and experience, but another component is time! Time allows you to accomplish them but know that it is a priceless commodity. 

One should learn in this life to know the condition of your resources and take time to assess them because everything we possess will not last. That's why there is always the challenge of sustainability, and like it or not, all matters are unstable. I hope you learned from your physics class that there is the law of the dissipation of energy. It means even the sun will die later and will no longer provide energy to the solar system. The fact is, "riches do not last forever," and even the "power of the king" is not secured and will not guarantee to exist the next generation. That is all we learned from history if we would honestly interpret and reconstruct the past objectively. 

If you are observant in the field, you know that new life starts to appear and grow when the hay gets removed. The farmers who do business with lambs and goats benefit from sheering their fur and milking them with gallons, but these animals get old and soon will be gone, and so the Book of Proverbs in 27:33-27 tells us that abundancy is just for the meantime. The next generation will either do better or the other way around, encouraging preparation and anticipation. While it is good that you prepare, you must also predict what the future will hold. Never chase the rainbow is a wise saying because they are virtual realities. A pot of gold is not there. Meaning, don't chase fantasies, and even if you catch them, you will soon realize that they are filled with disappointments and regrets (Proverbs 28:19-20).

The Lord told us long ago in Luke 21:36 to stay alert and always have that consciousness with you because man quickly forgets the past lessons in life. The Lord teaches us here to prepare for the worst to come. He said that human affairs will always find ways to clash as earthquakes do, so is a man with his relationship among people. History tells that empires and nations are not good stewards of relationships. They miserably failed, according to world history. The Lord made it clear that war is inevitable and human struggles will continue and not cease. They are here to exist, and only those prepared for the worst can withstand this "storm." 

We read that the heroes of faith in the Bible call for men never to be wary of doing good but stay in doing good, which will bring to a life of productiveness. Hence, be prudent in life, act carefully, and be mindful of the future. Be wise by knowing your purpose. A sensible person sees what dangers are and knows what to prepare or suffer for being unwise (Proverbs 22:3 and 27:12).

The ant teaches us about preparations. Of course, they work best in their natural habitat in the forest as "colonies." Like armies, they work with unity of purpose to achieve a goal before rainy days come, where, it is challenging to collect food and store it to their anthill. God condemns sluggards, and many do not act like the ant, so life brings them misery. The Lord said, "arise from your sleep," the sluggards do not plant and harvest.

So, prepare to equip yourself with everything good and take every opportunity to apply your hands with all your strength, for the storms of life are nigh, and you may never have the chance to prepare. People suffer for the lack of knowledge, the knowledge of God, and the law. Number your days, assess your situation, and know what opportunities are there. Connect yourself and grow in strength and wisdom (cf. Ecclesiastes 9:10 and Hosea 4:6). Remember that hard times are here. Prepare yourself. 

"and anticipate"

         One of the parables of Jesus in Luke 12 tells us to "Ready yourself for service and allow your lamps to keep burning, like servants waiting for the return of their master from a banquet's wedding. So, when he arrives and knocks on the door, you can readily open it for him." It implies anticipation for the future event. You are to see that days are coming, and they are not the same. There are good and evil days, and it will come for everyone without exemption. The Lord said, "It will be good for these servants to stay awake when their master comes." He tells his followers to keep on guarding and must know what is coming. Jesus said to ready with your lamp when that darkness comes. When eventualities unexpectedly present themselves, "truly, that servant will get up to serve…even if the master comes early or late in the morning," the servants of the house can still get up and open the door for his master. The relationship between servant and master is likened to our relationship with God. The Lord continued with his story and mentioned a thief who failed to steal in the night because the owner is awake and knows that he is coming. Life's miserableness can be avoided if you know what dangers are coming. 

There was a record in Genesis 41 about Joseph and Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. In those days, Joseph was in prison due to allegations of rape of Potiphar's wife, but God gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams while in prison. Not long after, most of his inmates were asking for his help to interpret their dreams. In those days, it is believed that God communicates through dreams. News has wings, and Joseph's fame quickly called the king's attention and brought him to the palace to interpret the vision of his majesty. So, the Pharaoh told him about the seven fatty cows and seven heads of grain and seven years. Then seven lean cows came after seven years, and the wind from the east ruined the seven heads. Joseph told the king that seven years of famine are coming, and he advised his majesty to anticipate and prepare to lessen the impact of this environmental phenomenon. The seven years of famine came, and the kingdom survived. Avoided the worst effect, they were able to prepare and store grains across the land. They anticipated the coming of the evil days, and when it was payback time, the king appointed Joseph to be the governor of the kingdom, and the rest of the story was like "they live happily ever after." The appointment happened even before the famine took place, the Pharaoh have sensed that the Lord is upon Joseph, and it is enough to trust him with the power that is second to him. Later on, we were told of the reunion with Joseph's siblings and his father Jacob, and they lived prosperously in Egypt. 

This story is about the power of anticipation with God's intervention, of course. You have a good number of models nowadays to learn and succeed. These people learned to anticipate and prepare before the worst happens. So, know yours. The Bible declares in Psalm 130:5 to be steadfast in the midst of trials. They will pass, and you will receive your reward if you prepare and anticipate.

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 Questions:

1.    Why do you think you need to prepare and anticipate the future?

2.    What are the things that you need to prepare?

3.    What are the things that you need to expect?

4.    What is the story of the parable of the talent? What does this mean to you?

5.    Can you go to p.9, and please analyze the picture?

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