ApprehendingGrace.com

A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
Proverbs 22:3 (NLT)

It All Started with Phil
About a year ago, my husband came to me with a conviction that we should begin to prepare for a future that might be much different than the life we live now. We started on the journey of becoming what are commonly called “preppers.” Preppers are people who are actively preparing themselves to be able to ride out an emergency or disaster. What type of emergency they anticipate affects (or perhaps dictates) the types of preparations they make.

This isn’t our first rodeo. Phil and I did a bit of prepping during the Y2K scare. Because we made our living with our computers, we recognized the potential for disaster with a global computer malfunction, did some research, and prepared accordingly. While nothing came from Y2K, Phil has felt that it was a training ground or “dress rehearsal” for some future event. And Y2K was a time when I learned the value of having a well-stocked pantry. Prior to that, I had kept very little food in the house and any time I needed something, I ran to the store to get it. Now I love being able to run to the pantry – saves time and doesn’t require boots, coats and gasoline!

But I digress. When Phil first brought up the subject last year I didn’t take him seriously. So he dropped the subject, but kept researching on his own and began to make small prepping purchases within our budget. After awhile he brought up the subject again, with more directness and urgency. I was quickly overwhelmed. So we set it aside for a few days until we had the opportunity to sit together and he could lay out what he was thinking, why he was thinking it, and what he thought we ought to be doing.

I Got It
I was convinced.

The world is rapidly changing. Any of a number of things can go wrong which could drastically impact our lifestyle. The probability of any of them happening is…well, experts disagree on that point. But what was the probability of Hurricane Katrina or Superstorm Sandy? What was the probability of our economic depression of the past few years and what is the probability of a second one in the near term? What is the probability of a major crisis of the power grid or the financial world systems?

I don’t know the answers to those questions, but beginning to prepare for a world that is drastically different from the one I live in now makes sense. Scripture makes it clear that the world will experience upheaval before Christ returns. Society will not continue as we know it prior to His second coming. What is the probability that will happen in my lifetime? Again, I don’t know the answer to that question. But I know that more and more frequently we are saying “Jesus is coming soon!” in response to strange things happening in the world.

I am not predicting the end of the world. There was absolutely no credence to the speculation that the world would end on December 21, as the Mayan calendar seemed to indicate. Nor do I believe in an impending Zombie Apocalypse. What I am saying is that there is a probability – perhaps a high probability – that the world will suffer some kind of devastation in my lifetime. And I want to do what makes sense to alleviate suffering for those in my family and those around me.

I’m not trying to instill fear in you. Rather, I see this as an exciting opportunity for the Church to be the Church. Imagine the tremendous impact we can have if we are able to provide food, heat and water to others when those things aren’t readily available!

Why Now?
Why am I writing about this now? Because a couple of weeks ago I read about God turning the Nile to blood in Egypt and this lesson screamed in my brain – things can change in an instant! In an instant, the people had no water. People can live only a week without water (give or take a few days depending on lots of factors). At some point which will surprise all of us, water could become scarce.

I’m not the only one beginning (or continuing) to declare the message that it is time to prepare. There are others that are also taking steps now, but for one reason or another most people aren’t going public with their preparations. While it’s not a prominent message from most pulpits, there are many who are hearing and speaking the warning. Add me to the ranks.

As such, Phil and I are praying about starting a blog that talks simply and directly about preparing for a world that is different from ours. More to come on that one.

Last year Phil kept saying “I just keep hearing the message over and over – start preparing.” Now I’m hearing the same message, in slightly different words. “Get ready!” is the message I’m hearing over and over.

Spiritual Implications
Getting ready has many facets. First and foremost, we must be ready spiritually. Our focus this month in the Living God’s Heart series has been repentance. It is the best place to start – by agreeing with God that we have sinned, asking His forgiveness for those sins and then living the way He wants us to live.

Getting ready and growing spiritually is what Apprehending Grace Ministries is all about – continually reaching to grasp all that God has for us. Sometimes that reaching means hard work and sometimes it means sitting at the feet of Jesus and letting him love and teach us. (Yes, I know – just sitting can be pretty hard work for many of us.)

Getting ready also means preparing in the natural. My sister lives in a place where they occasionally experience hurricanes. They live prepared for that future natural disaster that may hit their area. When one comes close they ramp up their preparations. They increase supplies of food and water and they put up the pieces of plywood they’ve cut to fit their windows. Similarly, we need to prepare for that time when life is much different from what it is now. That’s the message God is giving my husband and me – the storms are drawing closer, it’s time to increase preparations. It’s time to get ready.

What Can You Do Now?
The subject of preparing for a future disaster is huge. There are many elements to it. That’s what our new website will be about. It’s a big challenge and you may not see anything for a couple of months. In the meantime, here are some things you can do:

Pray – When you see news reports that tempt you to become disgusted with our government or say negative things about it, pray instead. We are to pray for those in authority over us – whether we agree with them or not. Pray that God will give our leaders wisdom and courage and integrity. Pray that our government will be full of men and women who seek God’s will regularly.

Pray – When you see the continuing moral decay in our nation, pray that God would bring revival to His church. Repent that we have not held up His standard of righteousness during our generation but have instead allowed the culture to change us more than we have impacted our culture. Pray that God would have compassion on our country.

Pray – For wisdom. Ask God about the validity of this message. Is He beginning to whisper in your ear that it’s time to “get ready”? If you’re like me, you’ll need to hear the message a couple of times before it takes hold. Pray!

Don’t be afraid. Don’t live in fear. Regardless of what happens in the coming days, God is in control. If you are tempted to fear, purposefully rest in God. Purposefully meditate on His goodness and His power and His majesty.

Look up for your redemption draws near! Satan rules this world for now, but a day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

To God be the glory.

Watch this space for more info on getting ready for the coming day when life is no longer as it is today.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2013 at 9:17 am and is filed under Christian Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.