36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.
40 “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:35-40. (Emphasis added.)
God has prepared many things for His elect. God has prepared us and the world in which we live. God has prepared our works. God has prepared heaven for us. God has even prepared deadly weapons, eternal fire, and the vessels of wrath for destruction. God has prepared praise for Himself. God has prepared other things.
All these preparations should comfort us. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.
I did a keyword search of the word “prepared” at BibleGateway.com. Here is the link – Click here: BibleGateway.com – Keyword Search: prepared Here are some of the precious verses:
Exodus 23:20
[ Conquest of the Land ] “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
2 Chronicles 29:36
Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.
Psalm 7:13
He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
Psalm 74:16
Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun.
Zephaniah 1:7
Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
Matthew 21:16
and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?”
Matthew 22:4
“Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”‘
Matthew 25:34
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:41
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
Mark 10:40
“But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
Luke 2:30-32: “For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Romans 9:22
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
Romans 9:23
And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
1 Corinthians 2:9
but just as it is written,” THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
2 Corinthians 5:5
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:16
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
In conclusion, The Heidelberg Catechism, Question and Answer 1, reminds us that “all things must be subservient to my salvation”:
Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 