I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
There is a growing alarm among a segment of western Christians that we should literally be preparing or “prepping” for tougher days ahead. The line is blurred between whether these tough days are for America or whether they signify the End of the Age. Furthermore, there is another segment of Christians that believes no prepping is necessary because the church will be raptured prior to traumatic times of any kind. So who’s right?
In the Bible, God sometimes gave His people time to prepare. Consider the seven years Joseph stored grain before the famine (Genesis 41:48-49). On the other hand, sometimes fleeing took place at a moment’s notice. The Israelites had to leave in the middle of the night after Pharaoh released them, although the Lord did bless them with quick provisions from the Egyptians (Exodus 12:31-36). Later, the Israelites were utterly depleted and relied on God to send manna and quail from heaven to feed them and water from a rock to quench their thirst (Exodus 16:1-17:7).
Most importantly, reliance on God is the best prepping we can do. We need to be in a constant state of dependence on Him regardless of what is going on or what we have stored up. That is the nature of the Christian walk. Apart from Him we can do nothing of eternal consequence. For centuries there have been believers that have endured such harsh times as to be reduced to no other possessions but their faith in God, and that was enough.
Secondly, I believe it is okay to be basically prepared. Even the U.S. Government encourages all households to have at least 72 hours of food, water, and other supplies on hand at all times. You can see for yourself on FEMA’s secondary website, www.ready.gov.
Preparation beyond that is a matter of consistent prayer between you and God. If you choose to “prep” extensively, let me encourage you to do so with the intention of helping family, friends, and neighbors (1 Timothy 5:8, Proverbs 3:27-28). Prepare to share as an act of mercy and for the sake of sharing the Gospel in hard times. Physical food and spiritual food should be paired together as much as possible.
Now, we will transition to a couple of weeks of general study on the End of the Age.