The Preparation You Didn’t Pray For

The Question I Didn't Expect God to Answer

This is my birthday month. I'll celebrate sixty-seven years of life.

For some people, age is a topic they would rather avoid. I'm not one of them. I use the weeks leading up to my birthday reflecting on the years behind me and taking an honest examination of my heart. I intentionally ask God to reveal areas where I need to grow, and I commit to making those changes the foundation for the next twelve months.

This year, I've spent much of my time reflecting on everything God has done during the past seven months and the vision He has given me for the future.

Trust me, I am incredibly grateful.

But can I be honest?

I've asked Him several times,

"Lord...what took so long?"

What He is doing through me today are things I prayed for years ago. I waited. I believed. I hoped. I wondered if those prayers would ever be answered.

Is it selfish to ask God—the One who is sovereign over every moment of my life—why He waited so many years?

I don't believe God minds our questions.

But His answer wasn't one I was prepared to hear.

The Holy Spirit quietly whispered,

"You weren't ready."

What a revelation.

What was even more humbling was realizing He was right.

I wasn't ready.

The Preparation We Never Pray For

The next word that entered my spirit was preparation.

I couldn't stop hearing it.

Preparation.

Preparation.

Preparation.

This word is so important in the life of every believer who finds themselves in a season of waiting.

Waiting for a breakthrough.

Waiting for the ministry to grow.

Waiting for the business to take off.

Waiting for healing.

Waiting for direction.

Just...waiting.

Preparation in the life of a believer is God's process of equipping, developing, and positioning us to fulfill His purpose for our lives.

When God is preparing us to serve Him, He isn't simply getting us ready for some spectacular, life-changing event.

He is shaping our character.

Strengthening our faith.

Teaching us dependence.

Preparing our hearts before He entrusts us with greater responsibility.

This is the preparation we never prayed for.

We prayed for the blessing.

We prayed for the opportunity.

We prayed for the open door.

Yet while we were waiting for those prayers to be answered, God was quietly preparing us to carry what we had asked Him to give us.

David's Hidden Years

David's life beautifully illustrates this truth.

When Samuel arrived at Jesse's house to anoint Israel's next king, David wasn't even invited to the gathering. He was out tending his father's sheep.

Then Scripture says:

"So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward..."

1 Samuel 16:12–13 (NKJV)

Most scholars believe David was likely around fifteen years old when he was anointed.

Do you think he was ready to be king?

Neither do I.

God chose David because He knew what was in his heart.

Long before David ever wore a crown, he faithfully cared for his father's sheep. He worshiped God in private long before anyone celebrated him in public.

David wasn't pursuing greatness.

He was pursuing God.

The anointing established David's calling, but it did not eliminate his preparation.

Once Samuel poured the oil over David's head, God's purpose for his life was certain.

The timing, however, still belonged to God.

Isn't that true for us?

When God calls us, His purpose is secure, but His process still unfolds one season at a time.

David's years of preparation are written throughout the Psalms. There we witness his victories, his fears, his failures, his worship, his repentance, and his unwavering dependence upon God.

Every season was preparing him for the assignment God had already determined.

Scripture tells us:

"David was thirty years old when he began to reign..."

2 Samuel 5:4 (NKJV)

Think about that.

Nearly fifteen years passed between David's anointing and the fulfillment of God's promise.

Those weren't wasted years.

They were years of preparation.

God Doesn't Prepare Us for Position

I often return to David's life because, for me, he is one of Scripture's greatest examples of God's preparation process.

We never read that David asked to become king.

God called him.

David simply accepted the anointing and faithfully served—even serving the very king he would one day replace.

He experienced unimaginable highs and heartbreaking lows.

He endured loss.

He experienced betrayal.

He lived in caves.

He ran for his life.

Yet through every season, he continued to trust the God who had called him.

Whatever assignment God gives us—whether it aligns with our plans or completely changes them—comes with a season of preparation we never would have chosen for ourselves.

It is often during those hidden seasons that we find ourselves in the valley, alone with nothing but our faith.

Yet those are also the seasons when God speaks most clearly.

He gives more direction.

More wisdom.

More clarity.

And constant reminders that we are never alone.

One thing has always stood out to me about David.

Scripture never records David asking God,

"When?"

He never demanded that God speed up the process.

He simply continued serving.

Continued worshiping.

Continued trusting.

God doesn't prepare us for position.

He prepares us for purpose.

Then Came My Conviction

I realized that much of my frustration came from not understanding what God was accomplishing during the waiting.

Those years produced a faith that no circumstance can shake.

I've learned to trust God without hesitation because I've experienced His faithfulness throughout the preparation process.

Today, I know with absolute confidence that He has never left me.

If you find yourself in a season where God is preparing you before He promotes you, keep praising.

Keep serving.

Keep trusting.

Ask God to remove every complaint from your lips.

Ask Him to replace your doubts with confidence in His promises.

And when you're tempted to ask,

"When, God? When?"

Ask instead,

"Lord, what are You preparing in me?"

The Wait Is Worth It

As my birthday approaches and I embrace the vision God has placed before me, I can't help but thank Him—not only for the answered prayers, but for the preparation that made me ready to receive them.

Today I can share my testimony because I've lived it.

I can encourage other women because I've stood where they're standing.

I can look into the eyes of His daughters and see pieces of my own journey reflected back at me.

I understand the waiting.

I understand the discouragement.

I understand what it feels like when the breakthrough seems delayed.

So let me encourage you, sister...

Don't give up.

Don't lose heart.

Don't mistake God's preparation for His absence.

Believe me, sis...

The wait is worth it.

The process is worth it.

God is faithful, even in the waiting."

When God's perfect timing meets His perfect purpose for your life, you'll discover that the preparation you never prayed for became the very thing that equipped you to fulfill the calling He had planned all along.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Pat Flowers

Founder, Made Anew

Restored. Renewed. Revived.