Be Prepared

Proverbs 21:31
(31) The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

I think this verse flies in the face of the "let go and let God" mentality. Of course, that old maxim is true to a point. However, this verse also tells us that we need to prepare the horse for the day of battle as well. We can't just sit back and expect that God is going to do all the lifting for us. There seems to be a partnership here.

I think of this in terms of evangelism too. I am certainly committed to praying for folks who don't know Jesus because I know that no one gets argued into the Kingdom. However, I also know that it is my job to preach the gospel to them. The ultimate victory belongs to the Lord.

I also think that this verse puts the glory in the proper place. God gets all the glory for any victories in battle. If we think that it is just because of our own brilliance, determination, or hard work then we will try to take the glory for ourselves. That is always a mistake.