Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst

[hldude]

“Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst”
Matthew 26:39 NLT
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

I think we would all agree that most of the times in our lives when we face difficult situations, we hope and pray for the best outcome. I mean, who wouldn’t pray for a great outcome when hard times are present, right? Who in their right mind would even consider praying for bad things to happen? No one would. However, we all know that both good and hard times both come with life. There is no escaping it.

Through various times in the past couple of years, I thought off and on about the idea of hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. I used to find myself always hoping and praying for the best to come, but then not preparing for what could happen if it were not the best outcome. I often found myself not dealing with the bad outcomes. In the recent past, I have found myself preparing more mentally for both. I have come to a point where I really try to accept the possibilities of both good and bad outcomes.

I always want to hope for the best, of course, but I also want to mentally and spiritually prepare for the worst. I’ve been finding that through these prayers of asking God to help me mentally and spiritually prepare for both, I am prepared to accept the worst outcome, but when the opposite happens, I am so grateful for the best. This has been a thought on my mind for a while now and I’m learning to pray and prepare myself more like this. I hope and pray for the best, but then also ask God to help me accept if the outcome is not what I hoped for.

When I think of Jesus as He prays this prayer 3 times to His Father as He approaches a very agonizing time in His life, I think about his prayer in being hopeful for the best, but prepared for the worst. This struggle He had and prayed through is so powerful!

I’ve been amazed how much this way of thinking and praying has helped me through recent times in various ways. It’s not easy, but it’s been helping me as I consider what God wants me to do as I live each day. I always hope for the best, but I want to be prepared and ready if things don’t go the best way I had hoped for. I need to be prepared and ready to accept and still be faithful no matter the outcome. Being willing to accept and stay faithful is so huge!

Friends, I pray that we will all daily always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst so that we can all strive to do God’s will regardless of what situations we find ourselves in. It’s all about His glory, not what we want.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I remember back in 1989 when I had been a Christian about 3 years, my mom developed breast cancer. My dad told me she was in her 'Garden of Gethsemane'. She got through it. She lived 13 more years. My dad made me realize that sooner or later we will all face our own time of profound trial and suffering, our Garden of Gethsemane.

In recent months I've had to face mine. I had been praying about a certain situation in my life for years and years and it seemed there was no way to be released from the suffering and the continual haunt of the outcome I did not want. Recognizing the similarity of despair of my situation with that of Jesus' in the Garden I flipped to the account to see if I could glean anything of spiritual value and encouragement from it. I found it:

42A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” Matthew 26:42

The cup will pass. It's just a matter of how it will pass. Will God graciously release you from drinking it, or will you pass through it by drinking it? This gave me hope that the haunt of my long drawn out trial would end and that the intent was not that I never get released from it but a matter of what God's will is for how it's going to pass.

Then I found this encouragement in Mark's account:

35Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him. 36“Abba, Father,” He said, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:35-36

It wasn't that the ONLY way to end the trial is to drink the cup and go through it, for as Jesus recognized in his trial "all things are possible for God." It was a matter of God's will how the trial will pass. This was encouraging to me and gave me the faith to keep on praying and asking for a pleasant resolution of my trial.

So I'm like you hldude. I know that, on one hand, this situation I've been enduring for years can have the ending I want it to have, for that is indeed possible with God, and so I pray accordingly. But that, also, by drinking the cup of the outcome I fear, the haunt of the outcome I dread will indeed pass and not haunt me forever and I will get through it. I seem to be fast approaching one or the other, and so in faith I'm 'hoping for the best, preparing for the worst'.

 

[gordon777]

Jesus knew He came for that hour:


John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.



Does anyone believe that Christ came for the cause of that hour, and not to be saved from it, but to be heard in that He feared, to believe we follow His way of learning obedience, so Christ became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him..



Hebrews 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

 

[for_his_glory]

In these trying times we do need to be prepared for the best and the worst knowing God will bring us through everything.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

[gordon777]

Jesus Christ is our one and only author of salvation, unto all those who obey Him. ( not hearing, not obeying anyone else's advise.)

That is why the testimony tells us plainly, we look at Christ the author and finisher of our faith, who endured the cross, so that we consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners, so we do not be weary and faint in our minds.




Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.



Remembering ( in the hope of the Gospel) and not being moved away, but continuing in the faith grounded and settled, having the afflictions of Christ in our body.

That shows the time of Christ is the trying time we focus on ( to not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel, and do not be moved by the cunning craftiness and sleight of men we are warned against. Ephesians 4:14.)




Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

 

[dwb001]

In these trying times we do need to be prepared for the best and the worst knowing God will bring us through everything.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Your verse does not support your argument.
You state a positive that "God will bring us through everything".
But the verse states a negative of "fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell".
So the verse does not support your statement.

I am sure there are better verses to show Gods care for His people better than "Be good or I will get you".

 

[gordon777]

Fearing God is giving His Spirit( of the fear of the Lord)

That also is keeping our mind and faith on Christ, who was of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.


Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:



How else can all scripture be for correction and instruction in righteousness.( and we , living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4.)


2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

 

[for_his_glory]

Your verse does not support your argument.
You state a positive that "God will bring us through everything".
But the verse states a negative of "fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell".
So the verse does not support your statement.

I am sure there are better verses to show Gods care for His people better than "Be good or I will get you".

God will always give us the victory over our enemies even if they kill us we are still victorious as we have eternal life with the Father and I gave that verse in Matthew 10:28 to show what in this life we are to fear (respect).