Spiritual Preparedness
We know that the Savior walked on this earth 2,000 years ago, and just as surely we know that He is coming back. A lot has to happen in the world before He returns, but many of the prophecies in the scriptures have already come to pass or are happening right now. We need the guidance of the Spirit to know how to best use our limited time and resources so that we can be prepared at His coming. Fortunately, the most important preparation we can do is our spiritual preparation, which is free. We need to be faithful or it won't matter how much rice and wheat we have stored.
The scriptures state the Lord will not do anything without first revealing it to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7) The prophets have spoken clearly and repeatedly that now is the time to prepare and that we are in the latter-days. Although their messages are urgent and powerful, none of them are alarming or imposing; they highlight our need to be prudent in our preparations.
Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 tells us that if we are prepared we shall not fear. "Shall not" is the same language used in the Ten Commandments. This suggests that preparation and being at peace go hand in hand because they are things we choose to be, not necessarily because they are consequences of each other. In other words, it is not an if-then statement. It does not say if ye are prepared, then ye shall not fear, but rather, "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." Our worries and fears drown out the whisperings of the Spirit, and since we can't afford to miss His help, we need to choose to follow the commandment to be prepared and to not fear once we have done all we can do. Fear is the opposite of faith, so in reality, we could interpret the scripture as saying, if ye are prepared, ye shall have faith. As we prepare, our faith in the Lord will grow. We will be able to trust in His promises because preparation is an enabler of faith. We must believe that our preparations have a purpose and are more than just the means to an end. We will be blessed both now as we prepare, and then if we have done our part to be ready to listen to Him. Both Mary and Martha knew Jesus was coming, but Martha wasn't able to be with Him because she was stuck still preparing (Alma 34:32-33). Meanwhile Mary's choices enabled peace of mind and readiness of heart while at the feet of the Savior, and thus, she was able to receive her part of the spiritual blessings He had to offer.
We have been instructed to put on the "whole armour of God." Part of that armor is preparation (Ephesians 6:15, D&C 27:16): "And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace." Feet represent movement, direction, and purpose. If we are not prepared with the Gospel, we will not know the direction we should go, or whom to follow. Our spiritual preparation has a direct correlation with our temporal lives. We are promised that as we strive to be spiritually worthy --keeping the commandments and pointing our feet in the correct direction --we are blessed in all things, including temporal blessings.
Perhaps the best preparedness story we have in all of scripture is the parable of the ten virgins found in Matthew 25. This is a story about "the kingdom of heaven at that day, before the Son of Man comes". Everyone is waiting for the bridegroom to walk by so they can follow him to the wedding party. It is midnight before he arrives, and by that time not only has everyone fallen asleep and has to be roused, but some people's lamps have burnt out so they can't light the way for him. They go run to buy oil, but by the time they catch up to the group, the door has shut and the bridegroom says he doesn't know them when they ask to be let in. Verse two states that five of the virgins were wise and five were foolish. The parable ends by saying "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
Elder Dallin H Oaks likened this parable to our day in this way: "The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came…. Brothers and sisters… Are we preparing? We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value."
We as members of the church are all looking forward with faith to the day the Savior returns, but to only watch and wait is not wise. This parable is as much or more about spiritual preparation than temporal preparation because when the time came the people with oil couldn't share with the people who didn't have any. Spiritual readiness takes time and effort and no one else can do it for us. Since we know He is coming we have to prepare ourselves to meet Him so He will know us when we knock at the door. We can have our year's supply of food and still miss the feast if we are not spiritually prepared.
President Henry B Eyring once said, “The greatest test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. What we will need in this day of testing is a spiritual preparation. It is to have developed faith in Jesus Christ so powerful that we can pass the test of life upon which everything for us in eternity depends. That test is part of the purpose God had for us in the Creation.” So, the great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home. The storms will rage, trials will come, and temptations will besiege us. We must choose to have faith, to be strong and of a good courage, for truly the Lord God is with us. He has promised us that as we go and do those things He requires of us, that He will prepare a way for us to do them. That through faith we can do all things. Preparedness is a commandment, and as such, part of our spiritual worthiness is to do just that- prepare. We read in Doctrine & Covenants 78:13-14, “Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you; That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world.” As the Lord commands, so must we obey. He has prepared the tools necessary for us to accomplish this commandment. We have been reminded time and time again by church leaders the things we can do to prepare ourselves spiritually:
Read the scriptures daily
Have daily personal and family prayer
Attend church and partake of the sacrament weekly
Hold regular Family Home Evenings
Attend the temple as often as possible
Pay an honest tithing and fast offering
Keep the commandments
Follow the counsel of the prophets, apostles, and other church leaders
Follow the standards set forth in For the Strength of Youth
As we do these things we will find ourselves clothed in the “whole armour of God” and our feet prepared with the Gospel of Peace. We will find ourselves ready to meet our Savior when He comes again on that great day.
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