October 26, 2026

Preparing For Spring

Proverbs 6:6-8 – “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

The man pulled the rake across the lawn in long, steady strokes, gathering red and gold maple leaves into a pile beside the driveway. His neighbor called over the fence that the trees were not even bare yet and more leaves would fall by next week. The man nodded and kept working. He had learned the hard way. One year he left the leaves until spring, and by March they had packed into a soggy, matted layer that smothered the grass underneath. What took an afternoon in October had turned into a weekend of backbreaking work, with dead patches of lawn left behind.

Solomon pointed to the ant as an example of that kind of wisdom. It has no commander or overseer, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. The ant prepares in the present season for what the next season will bring.

Noah lived by the same principle on a much larger scale. Hebrews says that when he was warned about things not yet seen, he built an ark in holy fear. For years he worked under clear skies, preparing for a flood no one around him believed was coming. When the rain finally fell, the work had already been done.

Believers are called to prepare for the days ahead in the same way. Unconfessed sin, neglected prayer, and postponed obedience rarely shrink when left alone. They pile up and grow heavier with time. A heart tended faithfully in the present will be ready for whatever the coming season brings, including the day Christ returns.

Today’s Prayer: Lord, help me prepare my heart today for whatever the coming days will bring. Amen.

Reflection Question: What have you been putting off that will only grow heavier if you leave it for later?