Getting Prepared
Don’t you realize that in a race, everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! – 1 Corinthians 9:24
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Delayed Victory
On March 24, 2020, the International Olympic Committee and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced jointly that the 2020 Olympic Games would be postponed until 2021. The decision was historically remarkable. In the 124-year history of the modern Olympics, the Games had been canceled only three times, each because of a global war: in 1916 during World War I, and in 1940 and 1944 during World War II. Never before had the Olympics been postponed for a full year. Such a delay created enormous logistical and emotional upheaval for a global event involving more than 11,000 athletes.
For Olympic competitors, life is often marked by discipline, sacrifice, austerity, and relentless training. Their schedules are demanding, their preparation exacting, and their margin for error extremely small. Although many athletes supported the postponement, the decision brought new difficulties of its own. In the days before the announcement, numerous competitors had voiced concern that continuing to train for the Tokyo Games amid lockdowns and public restrictions could put both their health and the well-being of others at risk.
The Discipline of Preparation
Winning takes determination, focus, and a clear vision. In most athletic contests, only one person comes out on top. Occasionally, a race is so close that only a photo finish can determine the winner.
The spiritual race is different, however: its prize isn’t reserved for one victor. All who persevere in faith and remain steadfast may receive it.
Philippians 3:13-14:
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul’s language evokes the focus and determination of an athlete pressing toward the finish line. Yet unlike earthly competition, the race of faith is not defined by rivalry, but by endurance, obedience, and unwavering pursuit of the Father’s call. The goal is not to outperform others, but to remain faithful to the course He has set before us.
The Spiritual Race
The Father may lead His children through seasons that are difficult, draining, and severe, yet those seasons are never purposeless. Even the most grueling stretches of the journey are governed by His wisdom and love. What appears to be interruption, delay, or hardship may in fact be part of His deeper work of spiritual formation. Through trials, perseverance, and our faithful response, He shapes the character of His people and prepares them for what lies ahead.
In this way, the spiritual race differs from any earthly competition. Its hardships are not pointless obstacles; they often serve as the very means by which spiritual depth is formed.
REFLECT & PRAY
We may not see the good immediately, but if we trust Him, He will bring about what is best in His time.
Father, thank You for caring enough to set a demanding course before me, shaping me for faithful service. Teach me to trust You through hard places, endure with steadfastness, and press on until Your purpose in me is fulfilled.
INSIGHT
The Unexpected Training of the Soul
The path of spiritual victory is very different from what we would naturally expect. The Father leads each of His children through a distinct course of preparation, one designed to form endurance, humility, and dependence. Strangely enough, in the life of faith, winning often comes through losing. Strength is born in weakness, and triumph emerges through surrender.
Rather than training us mainly through visible competition, the Father often prepares us in the wilderness. He humbles us, tests us, and brings us to the limits of our self-sufficiency. When we can no longer sustain ourselves through our own strength, we begin to understand what it means to depend fully on Him. That is often where spiritual maturity begins to deepen.
Deuteronomy 8:2-14:
“Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character and find out whether or not you would obey his commands.
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.
But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”
The wilderness is the place where the Father prepares His people to serve, to endure, and ultimately to overcome. It is often there, in hardship and apparent deprivation, that He reshapes desire, corrects pride, and teaches obedience.
Moses in the Wilderness
This truth is vividly illustrated in Cecil B. DeMille’s portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments. In the film, Moses appears exhausted, famished, and thirsty, yet he continues to press forward through a barren and merciless landscape. Finally, he arrives not only at a physical destination, but at the spiritual place where the Father intends to meet and form him.
Into the blistering wilderness of Shur, the man who walked with kings now walks alone.
Torn from the heights of royal power, stripped of rank and earthly wealth, he is portrayed as a forsaken man without country or hope, his soul as turbulent as the scorching winds and shifting sands that drive him onward. Night brings loneliness, the wind whispers with menace, and his mind hovers between memory and dread. Beneath the burning sun, surrounded by desolation, he is emptied of illusion and human certainty.
At last, he is driven through the crucible of the desert to the end of his own strength. There, broken down into dust, he becomes ready for the Maker’s hand.
The imagery is arresting because it captures a profound spiritual reality. The Father often forms His servants through stripping rather than abundance, through testing rather than ease. The desert becomes a refining place where ambition is purified, pride is reduced, and the soul is made ready for His holy purpose.
Prepared Through Hardship
Such training is never easy. It is severe, grueling, and often painful. Like the discipline required of a world-class Olympian, it calls for perseverance through discomfort and discouragement. Many give up before the process has run its course. Yet when we begin to see that the Father is intentionally guiding us through these very circumstances, hardship takes on new meaning. What once seemed merely harsh becomes purposeful. In recognizing this, we often discover reserves of strength, endurance, and clarity we never knew we had.
Hebrews 11:24-27:
“It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.
It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.”
Moses endured because he looked beyond immediate comfort, weighing present suffering against future reward. He pressed on with his eyes fixed on the unseen God. The same is true for every child of the King: spiritual victory comes not through ease, applause, or visible success, but through steadfast faith, patient endurance, and unwavering trust in the One who leads His people through the wilderness and prepares them for His purposes.
In these wilderness experiences, we are often tempered and refined for the greater purposes He has in store. Through this journey, marked by perseverance and an unwavering commitment to His guidance, we discover our true strength and fulfillment, ultimately finding spiritual victory in alignment with His will.
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© Dr. H 2026
