Preparing for disaster
Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 9:47 pm
What do you think of preparing for disaster or an attack on your country? What I mean is--does our Savior expect us to have a week or two or more of food and other supplies in storage in case a flood, earthquake, power outage or other disaster strikes? The flip side to prepping is to just trust that our Savior will provide for our needs no matter what happens. Here is a scenario some of you might also want to respond to. In the case of a country being attacked by a weapon such as as EMP, (Electromagnetic Pulse) which would completely disable the power grid for months if not years, and would kill 2/3 of a population by most experts estimation. Are we as Christians instructed to save resources now to be able to help ourselves and others? Thank you for your comments.
Paul's response to my email:
Hi David,
The Lord gave Joseph the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, and wisdom to understand how to prepare for the coming drought and food shortage. During the drought of Elijah’s day, the Lord sent him away to hide in the wilderness, where the ravens God commanded fed him. Later on, God sent Elijah to Zarephath, to be provided for by a widow who had a handful of meal and a little oil she was planning to prepare for herself and her son as their last meal. So how can we know what to do, except God directs us? And how can we live, except by faith in Him Who is our Provider? Doesn’t the Shepherd look after His flock?
Matthew 6:25-33 MKJV
(25) Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
(26) Behold the birds of the air; for they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not much better than they are?
(27) Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
(28) And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin,
(29) but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(30) Therefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much rather clothe you, little-faiths?
(31) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed?
(32) For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
(33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
We haven’t had any specific instructions from the Lord about preparing for upcoming upheaval, although I would say that everything He’s been teaching and leading us in has been preparation for His Kingdom on earth. And those who hear these things from us and believe them as from God have been blessed.
Psalms 91:1-16 MKJV
(1) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.
(2) I will say of the LORD, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust.
(3) Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying plague.
(4) He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.
(5) You shall not fear the terror by night; nor because of the arrow that flies by day;
(6) nor for the plague that walks in darkness, of the destruction laying waste at noonday.
(7) A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you.
(8) Only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked.
(9) Because You, O LORD, are My refuge; if You have made the Most High Your dwelling-place,
(10) no evil shall befall You, nor shall any plague come near Your dwelling.
(11) For He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You in all Your ways.
(12) They shall bear You up in their hands, lest You dash your foot against a stone.
(13) You shall tread on the lion and adder; the young lion and the jackal You shall trample underfoot.
(14) Because He has set His love on Me, therefore I will deliver Him; I will set Him on high, because He has known My Name.
(15) He shall call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver Him, and honor Him.
(16) With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
It’s not unwise to be prepared. I use an UPS on my computer, which saves work in case of a power interruption. I take a warm coat, hat, and gloves in my car if I’m driving any distance in the winter. But how much can or should we prepare for every possibility? Our trust must be in the Lord and His leading day by day.
David, with a general question like this, I think it would be good to post it on the Forum. Also, you did bring up the matter at the Sabbath meeting, when Victor answered: “America needs to fear the Lord, rather than any kind of judgment coming to it by the Lord because it doesn't fear Him.”
So you can start a new subject under “Topics of Discussion” with your question and my answer, if you will. In this way all can participate, helping and being helped. That’s the Kingdom of God on earth and our future.
Paul
Paul's response to my email:
Hi David,
The Lord gave Joseph the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, and wisdom to understand how to prepare for the coming drought and food shortage. During the drought of Elijah’s day, the Lord sent him away to hide in the wilderness, where the ravens God commanded fed him. Later on, God sent Elijah to Zarephath, to be provided for by a widow who had a handful of meal and a little oil she was planning to prepare for herself and her son as their last meal. So how can we know what to do, except God directs us? And how can we live, except by faith in Him Who is our Provider? Doesn’t the Shepherd look after His flock?
Matthew 6:25-33 MKJV
(25) Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
(26) Behold the birds of the air; for they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not much better than they are?
(27) Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
(28) And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin,
(29) but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(30) Therefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much rather clothe you, little-faiths?
(31) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed?
(32) For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
(33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
We haven’t had any specific instructions from the Lord about preparing for upcoming upheaval, although I would say that everything He’s been teaching and leading us in has been preparation for His Kingdom on earth. And those who hear these things from us and believe them as from God have been blessed.
Psalms 91:1-16 MKJV
(1) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.
(2) I will say of the LORD, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust.
(3) Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying plague.
(4) He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.
(5) You shall not fear the terror by night; nor because of the arrow that flies by day;
(6) nor for the plague that walks in darkness, of the destruction laying waste at noonday.
(7) A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you.
(8) Only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked.
(9) Because You, O LORD, are My refuge; if You have made the Most High Your dwelling-place,
(10) no evil shall befall You, nor shall any plague come near Your dwelling.
(11) For He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You in all Your ways.
(12) They shall bear You up in their hands, lest You dash your foot against a stone.
(13) You shall tread on the lion and adder; the young lion and the jackal You shall trample underfoot.
(14) Because He has set His love on Me, therefore I will deliver Him; I will set Him on high, because He has known My Name.
(15) He shall call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver Him, and honor Him.
(16) With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
It’s not unwise to be prepared. I use an UPS on my computer, which saves work in case of a power interruption. I take a warm coat, hat, and gloves in my car if I’m driving any distance in the winter. But how much can or should we prepare for every possibility? Our trust must be in the Lord and His leading day by day.
David, with a general question like this, I think it would be good to post it on the Forum. Also, you did bring up the matter at the Sabbath meeting, when Victor answered: “America needs to fear the Lord, rather than any kind of judgment coming to it by the Lord because it doesn't fear Him.”
So you can start a new subject under “Topics of Discussion” with your question and my answer, if you will. In this way all can participate, helping and being helped. That’s the Kingdom of God on earth and our future.
Paul