Over-Prepared
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NLT
Did you know that a Penn State University study shows that roughly 85 to 91 percent of our worst-case worries never come true? Still, I recently heard some great advice on how to take those worst-case fears and use them to your advantage by interrupting the thought and imagining yourself responding well if that situation happened instead.
I took this advice and ran with it recently. While it was helpful at first, it didn’t take long for me to miss the whole point and go overboard with this practice, wanting to be overly prepared for any possible difficult interaction that could ever come my way. That definitely defeated the purpose and intention of said advice.
I can only imagine how much more the disciples felt the need to be prepared for anything after Jesus died on the cross. He warned them that persecution would come, and they had seen it firsthand. They went into hiding, and even after being eyewitnesses to Jesus’ miraculous resurrection, it was the Holy Spirit who empowered them with a boldness they would have never had on their own to share the wonderful news of the gospel.
Peter experienced incredible life change after receiving the Holy Spirit. He went from denying Jesus three times to leading thousands to Him in his first sermon. Still, while understanding his need for the Holy Spirit, he also wrote this in his letter to the early Christian believers:
“…And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” 1 Peter 3:15a-16 NLT
Peter understood the value of preparation and didn’t neglect being thoughtful with his words. However, he is the perfect example of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in his life beyond what he had the courage to do alone. While preparation is a part of the story, the Holy Spirit meets us in our weakness, giving us words and wisdom when we just don’t know what to say or how to respond to something.
As believers, we have the responsibility to prepare and respond to the best of our ability, all the while surrendering our worries to God and trusting Him to help us in our time of need.
Jesus reminds us of this, too, as He spoke to His disciples before going to the cross:
“And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.” Luke 12:11-12 NLT
These words from Jesus are not to tell us to not prepare at all, but rather, not to allow worry to creep into our hearts and rob us of boldly stepping wherever God leads us without fear, experiencing the incredible power of the Holy Spirit who helps us in our weakness and trials.
Are you over-prepared but also over-worried? Take a moment and surrender your fears to Jesus today, and allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with peace as you trust Him to have the answers that are impossible to know in advance.
