When I was in school, I did well on the exams for which I was prepared, but not as well on the exams for which my preparation was inadequate. Preparation always seemed so mundane. I tried to avoid the boring study work and get right to the challenge of the test. Later in life, I also tried to dismiss the routine tasks of preparation and move directly onto the task at hand. I can’t say that this approach has worked well for me.
The Bible tells a story of how poor preparation caused the disciples to fail Jesus dramatically. On the night in which Jesus was betrayed, He took the disciples up on the mountain to pray. After He had prayed for about an hour, He found them sleeping. Then He warned them by saying, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Later that night, the disciples fled and left Jesus alone to face His accusers. Previously they had boasted that they would follow Jesus, even to death, but now they ran in fear.
What did the disciples miss? They failed to pray and found themselves falling into the temptation of fear. Jesus acknowledged their desire to do the right thing by saying “the spirit is willing.” But He also warned the disciples that trying to do good in their own strength would fail by adding “but the flesh is weak.”
Jesus ‘warning still applies to us today. It is good to have the desire to do good things. But we must prepare ourselves properly by praying and waiting for God’s wisdom. Only by dependence upon Him can we do the good things that we want to do. Only by depending upon Him can we remain strong in the face of temptation.
Reluctant Retiree 