By Brent Smith
Prepping has become so popular that there are television shows devoted to it. There are companies that specialize in food packages with a long shelf life, heirloom seeds, and hidden bunkers. And people are prepping for different “doomsday” scenarios: nuclear war, social upheaval, the zombie apocalypse, a modern plague, a weather disaster, and an alien invasion. I don’t want to give the wrong impression. Not all or even most preppers are scared of little green men or the living dead. In fact, The American Red Cross gives advice on how everyone can be “Red Cross Ready.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) advises that everyone must be prepared for emergencies.
But if I’m a prepper, does that indicate I lack faith in God? Not necessarily. Jesus preached that we should not worry about what we shall eat or drink or wear (Matt. 6.25-34). Seeking the kingdom of God should be our top priority. However, “don’t worry” and “don’t prepare” are two different things. The Bible teaches, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Prov. 21.20). Joseph knew a thing or two about prepping as he led Egypt to ration food for seven years so that there would be something to eat during the famine.
Most country people that I have known have been prepping their whole lives; it just wasn’t called prepping. It was called canning or freezing. It was called a storm cellar or a basement rather than a bunker. They didn’t know what a zombie was but they knew they needed to be ready for winter or the possibility of a lean year. They already saved their own heirloom seeds every year but they were just called seeds. And many of them were and are great men and women of faith. They were also wise.
But we are all going to die eventually of something, and the bunker stocked full of food, ammunition, batteries, fuel, guns, and gas masks isn’t going to prepare us even a little to stand before Jesus: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5.5).