Prepare for Calamities
Unquestionably, there will be all manner of natural disasters, civil crises and other dangers that we should prepare to face. Not everything has a purely spiritual answer. During World War II, they sang, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” That got the balance right! If you can see a storm coming, don’t expect the Lord to close the windows for you. Making plans and being prepared is a part of being faithful. However, if practical preparation is impossible for you to do given your circumstances, then be assured that the Lord knows this and has made other plans. On the other hand, if the Lord has us placed in such a way that we can set things aside, then very likely His plans include us being prepared. Here ae some things to take into consideration.
And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:7-8
All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
End Times Challenge
We can already see an array of record-breaking disasters striking different regions. But we cannot see what specific disasters we may have to face. That’s the challenge. It’s one thing to prepare for a natural crisis typical to your region, but these will be uncharted waters for all of us.
Bridal Response
Step 1. Pray!
This must be repeated with every new challenge, because our usual reaction is to look to past experience and our abilities and say, “No way!” or try slugging it out bravely in our own strength. We all-too-easily forget that our strength is in Him, our hope is in Him—not in ourselves. So, if the Holy Spirit is making us aware (waking us up) to a fresh challenge, then the first thing the Lord wants us to do is cast that care on Jesus, because He cares for us enough to help us with it.[i] Pray, therefore, until fear and doubt fall away. Jesus is willing and able to help us with anything, that’s why He guarantees in scripture that if we call on Him, He will rescue/save/help us every time.[ii] How much do you have to call? Cry out in prayer until you receive confidence that He has heard you and the help is on the way.
Step 2. Do What You Can
Begin where you can. In the absence of specific guidance by the Holy Spirit, we are meant to go by prayer and common sense. Reason would tell us that it is better to do some preparation than none. It also would tell us to prepare first for those calamities that are typical to our own region. These would be the natural disasters which historically strike close to home. Amplify them in intensity and make your plans accordingly. There are usually many web-sites that will help you with this stage of planning because others before you in your region have been asking those same questions. At the very least, this includes plans for food and water, first aid, flashlights (and batteries), and a hand-cranked or powered generator (for keeping communications going). Don’t feel you have to act on every thought that occurs to you, especially if it seems to be fear based. But any persistent thought along these lines may be a leading of the Spirit.
Next, comes thinking outside the box. Consider the geo-political situation that surrounds you. Is your part of the world a likely candidate for economic collapse or civil unrest? If there were to be a nuclear war, is your area a prime target? What kind of natural disasters could your area be subject to, if unusual events occur? On the south coast of the US, for instance, we typically expect and prepare for hurricanes, but there are also earthquake fault lines that have not yet gone active but might. On the other hand, forest fires and mudslides in our flat coastal plain are not worth considering as risks. As you pray and think over the uncustomary, but potential risks, the Holy Spirit will bring further preparation ideas to mind.
As in everything, it is possible to go over-board. The problem here is that we don’t know how bad it is going to get. So, prepare for the worst and then some. Instead of planning for a typical disruption of a week or so, prepare for three months if you can. If you can’t afford it or don’t have space to store it, do what you can. In addition, consider what you might have to do to get out quick. Draw up a list of things to take. Have a safe destination in mind (and prepared if possible) and gather essentials into a “bug-out bag”—a backpack that’s packed and ready to go with you at a moment’s notice. You can’t prepare for every eventuality, but you can do what you can as God gives you the good sense to get ready.
The prudent sees danger and hides himself [takes refuge], but the simple go on and suffer for it. Proverbs 22:3
Next Way to Prepare
Prepare by Knowing the Timeline (Matthew 24:1-31) Did Jesus give us a timeline for the major events of the End Times? Yes, He did! This wonderful timeline includes the birth pangs, the Great Tribulation, the rise of the antichrist and all the stunning elements of His Return. It functions like a skeleton, providing the structural element that supports living flesh and connects it the right way. The only thing left for us to do is to “put meat on these bones” by taking other End Times passages from elsewhere in the Bible and attach them at the right spot. Of course, if you take this skeleton apart and rearrange it (as some do), you don’t get a lovely prophetic creation from Jesus, you get a monstrosity. But why would anyone want to do that?
Free Downloads
Signs of the Second Coming (36-page eBook)
Signs of Christ's Return (2-page Handout)
Ways to Prepare (37-page eBook)
Endnotes
[i] Pride (in us) tries to find the answer to life’s challenges in us; humility casts all cares on the One who wants to help us: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
[ii] This promise is given numerous times in scripture. The Lord wants us to know His help is always available to anyone who calls on Him for anything—lavishly available (“bestowing His riches”). For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him: For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:12-13