Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the LORD. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah, who gathered to seek the LORD. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.    2 Chronicles 20:3-4 HCSB

Yesterday, those of us living in Southeast Louisiana learned that we had not one but two hurricanes headed our way. I immediately thought of the battle that King Jehoshaphat faced when not one but two vast armies came against him and his people.

It’s bad enough to think that there is one hurricane headed towards us, but to learn that another one is following just 48 hours behind it could cause a bit of a panic. It could cause fear. I love the fact that this scripture passage tells us that Jehoshaphat was afraid. Fear is a natural reaction, it’s an emotion that we all experience from time to time. It’s how we handle it that separates the believers from the non-believers. We should all take Jehoshaphat’s lead and resolve to seek the Lord. We should keep our eyes focused on Jesus and not on the storms of life that are swirling all around us. But we must also be prepared. Throughout the Bible, we are told that we must be alert and be prepared.

Jesus uses the parable of the bridesmaids(Matthew 25:1-13) to illustrate the great need for us to be prepared for Christ’s return. When Jehoshaphat and his people prayed to God about these armies coming against them, God responded by telling them not to be afraid because of this vast number coming against them. He told them to go down to them the next day. He told them that they would not have to fight this battle. But the important thing here is God didn’t tell them to go kick back and relax. He told them to suit up and position themselves for battle. But, then he told them to stand still and see the salvation of the LORD. God told them that He is with them and again encourages them to not be afraid or discouraged but to go out and face them for Yahweh is with them.

Today I encourage you to prepare yourself for any battle or storm you may face. Now many of you will read this and think I am telling you to go out and buy weapons and ammunition and storm supplies. All of that is a good idea, but what I am really talking about here is securing your relationship with the LORD. When we are in close relationship with our Lord and Savior, we can be prepared for whatever comes our way. We can rest assured that the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. He will fight our battles for us. He will calm the storms that rage in our lives.

So, I ask you today are you prepared for the storm or the battle that you will face in the future? I say this because storms and battles are a part of life. But, if we resolve to continually seek the Lord in our lives, then we have no need to fear. We have no need to panic. We can stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:17).

The other thing you should know is that if you fail to properly prepare, then it will do you no good to panic. The five unprepared bridesmaids panicked and ran out to buy oil for their lamps, but sadly they were locked out of the wedding feast. They were too late. The time to prepare is not minutes before tragedy strikes, but right now. The time to come to Jesus is now. If you properly prepare, you can avoid all the panic.

Have a great day!