Radiate: 14 Devotions to Reflect the Heart of JesusExemplo

Preparing for Promise

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I PETER 1:13 ESV

We have all seen the glow that a newly engaged couple or an expectant mama exhibits, right? It has nothing to do with their new skincare regimen or a recently acquired routine that gives them this glow; rather, it is as though you can look at them and tell they are preparing for something beautiful and significant. The future husband and wife are anticipating their vows and the excited mother will soon hold her baby, and as they both prepare to receive these promises, they become radiant. Will the promise bring transition? Sure. Will their prayers for preparation often include the human emotions of anxiety and impatience? Yes! But as they position themselves to receive the promise of what is next, Jesus infuses them with a special hope and gives them guidance until it comes to pass.

Isn’t it the same for us? We are all eagerly awaiting the return of our King. But all along the way—during the time of preparation and process—we have the ability to radiate the joy of walking toward that promise! Keeping our minds fastened on His return provides us with the sustenance to keep going in the here and now. This anticipation should comfort us but also awaken our minds to action. The time to prepare for His arrival is now, not in a gimmicky way but in a way that realizes the importance of the season that is to come! With a new baby, there is no possible way to conceive how joyous and in awe our hearts will feel, and the truth and anticipation of Jesus’ return should bring us even greater joy! For the One who made the world and gives us the very emotion of joy is returning for us. This revelation should bring us the greatest amount of peace and also sober us into prioritizing what truly matters.

The beautiful but hard thing about preparation is that it rids us of anything we don’t need for the journey ahead. God’s promises are the hope of our lives, but they also bring about the refining of our souls. As we pray and as we position and posture ourselves so that we can carry the promise once received, the love of Jesus radiates through us. Like a mother excitedly awaiting the birth of her baby, we realize the importance of the current season, knowing that what awaits us is greater than we could ever imagine. Because we know, as with any promise, it is only by grace that the preparation phase was ever a possibility in the first place.

Hey Jesus, thank You for the hope of glory and the promise of eternity that You have given us. Help me cultivate this spirit of anticipation and let it permeate my being. Prepare my heart in holiness. In Jesus’ name, amen.