Learn to Prepare Anxiety-Free

“Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For…your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Jesus Christ – Matt. 6:31-33)

We who prepare are well known for our predictions of disaster.  Our whole rationale for setting aside food and water, for purchasing solar generators or ammunition, for all our preparing for uncertain times ahead, is that we anticipate that things will get worse before they get better.  That anticipation is what fuels our activity.  Such anticipation is healthy and wise.  You store away part of your harvest so that you can plant next year.  You look at the signs of severe weather and take shelter.  Such anticipation is good and necessary to life.

Yet, there is something else that often masquerades as healthy anticipation.  It is called, “anxiety”.  Anxiety is not healthy.  It does not give birth to active preparation.  Anxiety distracts.  It disables.  And in the text above, our Lord commands us to “not be anxious”.   Some have taken this imperative as proof that preparation for disaster is “unbelief”. Perhaps you have friends or family who criticize your prepping as needless, since “God’s going to take care of us”.  Indeed, Jesus does promise that the Father will add to us all that we need.  But notice, the promise of divine provision is given not to those who sit idly by and do nothing, but to those who “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”.  Hard labor and diligent preparation are not contrary to faith.  Anxiety is.  Wisely consider the danger that is likely to come.  Prepare for it.  But do not fear. Do not be anxious. This world is controlled by your Heavenly Father.  Your faithful preparation is not wasted because Almighty God has promised to provide for you.

 

This Day in Church History

April 15, 1912 – Evangelist John Harper preaches Christ as the Titanic Sinks – One of the passengers traveling on the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage was evangelist John Harper. After putting his six-year old daughter into a life boat, Harper ran throughout the ship exhorting others to flee and preaching Christ to the passengers he met, calling on them to turn from sin and to put their trust in the Savior. When he was finally forced to jump into the icy water, he clung to a piece of wreckage and asked another man near him, “Are you saved?” When the man answered no, John said to him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

When the Titanic sank early in the morning on this day, April 15, 1912, John Harper was among the 1,522 people who died. The band likewise went down with the ship. The last hymn they played was “Autumn,” which concludes with the prayer,

Hold me up in mighty waters,

Keep my eyes on things above,

Righteousness, divine Atonement,

Peace, and everlasting Love.