I’d venture to say that we all have something we are believing God for no matter how big or small it is. Maybe it’s a breakthrough in a job situation. Maybe it’s restoration for a marriage on the rocks. Or maybe, if you’re like me, you’re praying to even have a marriage at all. Regardless, we — some of us more than others — know what it’s like to be in that season of waiting, but what happens when God finally does come through? Do we know what our next step is? That’s a different story entirely now isn’t it?

My Pastor preaches on Nehemiah better than anyone I’ve ever heard, and he shared this concept with us. There’s a section in chapter two where after months of praying, Nehemiah gains favor with the king. The king grants his request to go back home to rebuild the city, but what’s fascinating is that Nehemiah has a plan. He's been preparing in his season of waiting so that when God does come through, he is ready.

The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”

With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”

The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.

I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. - Nehemiah 2:4-8

What would it look like if we did that for the thing we are praying for? How would our faith be impacted? How much more would we trust God is doing His part as we are doing ours? How would our hearts become more expectant and at peace about what is to come?

Often preparing for an answered prayer that is seemingly far off hurts, which is why I think we don’t do it like we should. We fear the elusive “what-if.” “What if, after all this preparation, God doesn’t come through soon or worse yet, at all?” "What if I do all this preparation and it's for nothing?" And those are fair questions. But here’s another “what-if” for you: What if He DOES? What if He does answer your prayer and then you have no idea where to go from there? In that moment, preparation is going to be the thing you wish you would have done. So, here are three reasons why it's important to plan for the season you're not yet in.

1. It deepens your faith
I'm very passionate about the notion that faith is a spiritual muscle that we have to exercise; it's not something that gets stronger on its own. God doesn’t call us to sit where we are like a princess locked in a tower waiting on someone to come get us. That’s a passive, shallow faith. God calls us to an active, deep faith. This means that we plan for that answered prayer even when it’s nowhere in sight. It means we risk something each day when we actively plan for it. It means we are depending on God to come through as we do what we can do in the natural. So we get our resume ready and send it out even though we don't know if we will get that job. It means we start praying for our spouse even when they're so distant and praying is the last thing we want to do. It means we work to better ourselves. It means we learn all we can about where we are going even when it sometimes hurts to do so. It means we prepare for the season we are not yet in.

2. It cultivates an expectant heart
The daily reminder I get when I prepare for the season I'm not yet in is this: God is going to come through in this. Even though I may not feel it today, I still expect Him to do so. Preparing allows me to have an expectant heart without necessarily having expectations. Why? Since I'm doing what I can to prepare myself for my future season, the idea of it isn't necessarily abstract. Rather, it's more realistic and less ethereal because I'm practically doing something about it. Often I think disappointment comes from unmet expectations which are often not fulfilled because they are unrealistic. Preparing for my next season allows me to be real and intentional about where I'm going instead of just dreaming about what it will be like.

3. It develops a responsibility
Often we feel like an answered prayer will take stress off of our lives, but in reality, an answered prayer is actually a new responsibility. That job you’re praying for? It takes work. That marriage you are praying for? It takes work. That kid you are praying for? It takes work. A lot of times people get very spiritual about callings or prayers; as if the breakthrough is just going to fall out of the sky and no work is involved at all. But in reality, the best way to prepare for the responsibility you are praying yourself into is to learn, grow, and cultivate yourself as much as you can in the natural. Of course this looks different for everyone, but if you want an example of something specific to my journey that I've been doing recently, click here to read more about it!

My Pastor said it like this, “Be prepared in the season of your answer.” And I love that because it implies that your answer is coming. That season is coming as surely as winter gives way to spring. But the question is, will you be prepared when you get there?