And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

John I 3:3

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

Psalm 91:1-4

People of faith must prepare to encounter hardships by focusing on repentance and prayer.  When faced with difficulty or hardships in our lives, some are prepared and some are not.  Remember the five maidens in the parable who were unprepared with oil and were not able to meet the bridegroom.  Those who prepare oil through repentance and prayer will meet the Lord.  They become closer to the Lord, building their faith by overcoming each hardship.  Whenever we choose to be close to the Lord, there is no error.  Even when it seems problematic, the Lord will come to our aid if we seek to be closer to him.  Just as the sheep who became lost after seeking their own path finds safety when reunited with its shepherd, we are safe and at peace when we are with the Lord.

First, we must make ourselves clean in every aspect of our lives with respect to the Lord and his commandments.  The way to be clean is to repent and pray.  How do we lead cleaner lives?  We must divest ourselves of all that is not one with the Lord.  The doors we must go through in life as we build our faith will become narrower and narrower until, in the end, we pass through the final door to eternal peace and salvation with nothing except that which is one with the Lord.

Second, we must live as one with the Lord.  Being one with the Lord means we have entrusted our lives, our welfare completely to the Lord.  When our hearts make us anxious, it is because we have not fully entrusted the Lord with all our concerns and worries.  We must first seek the Lord’s world and righteousness at all times.  We must live according to the Lord’s commandments.  Even when we  face death or suffering, we must entrust our lives to the Lord completely.  If we seek righteousness, we will always be blessed – no matter how dire it seems from a worldly perspective, the righteous will never fail.  Indeed, while it may seem good comes to those who live for themselves and not the Lord, none of it is everlasting and will all ultimately lead to failure.

In times of peace and blessing, we must prepare ourselves through prayer and repentance.  In times of distress, we must repent our sins, correct what is not in line with the Lord’s direction, and persevere.  We do this by making ourselves clean and seeking only the Lord.  We live in difficult times, and it is easy to make the mistake of trying to address hardship through our own efforts.  However, if we instead seek only the Lord, prepare through repentance and prayer, and entrust all to him, the Lord will protect us and bless us just as the sheep is rescued by its shepherd.

Summary

We must repent and pray when we meet hardship by focusing on two actions:

1. We must make ourselves clean with respect to the Lord.
2. We must seek only the Lord and entrust all to him.

If we do this, the Lord will protect and bless us.

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