Over the last week or so, a couple of people in the church have asked me if I am stockpiling three days’ supplies like the UK government are suggesting? Should we aim to be ready or is that panicking?

Our Ukrainian friends are often without electricity, heating and water. They have to be prepared. But in the UK we are not at war, yet. But it is not just war that can trigger the need for being prepared.

Last year, a local water main burst and our small area was without running water over a weekend. Supplies of bottled water in our town’s supermarkets were gone in hours. Anglian Water provided bottled water and standpipes, but it was a bit of a pain!

In December 2015, the River Lune flowing through Lancaster flooded. It took out the electrical power to the town of 61,500 people. That meant no light, no internet, no phones, no mobile network, and no cash machines. Sewers quickly backed up without the flow of water and supermarkets could not take payments by card. The only means of communication was FM radio and it took a local radio station to work out what was going on and get the word out. The National Energy System Operator reckons they can get power on within two or three days. Those two events alone show us that being prepared for three days is prudent. That is an example of a “Black Sky Event” – no power for three days that has already happened in the UK. (Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck5ynnj05z8no)

What we don’t need to do is panic. As one Christian writer reminded us panic is not prophetic and preparing is not unspiritual. There is a third way between ignoring or mocking being prepared and the other extreme of being consumed by fear and becoming a “doomsday prepper”. The third way is the Jesus way.

The church has been here before many times. Around AD 50 some of the believers in Thessalonica were so sure that the end was coming, that they stopped working. Paul commanded them to settle down and go back to work (2 Thess 3:12). In AD 250 a plague swept the Roman Empire, and while many fled, Christians stayed and nursed the sick (Christian missionary doctors were the first to respond to Ebola outbreaks in the last decade too). In AD 368, Basil the Great organised food for the hungry during a famine. Our friends Nick and Myla Sychev often take food parcels to older people stuck living near the frontlines in Ukraine.

Be Ready

It is not wrong or selfish to prepare. The Bible teaches it!

Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant you sluggard: consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer, or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

Proverbs 22:3 “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”

Solomon’s wisdom is to be ready in season and out of season.

In Matthew 25, Jesus commended the five virgins who had extra oil for their lamps, contrasting them with the foolish ones who were not prepared.

Be open hearted and open handed

The Christian way is illustrated in the difference between Joseph and the Rich Fool. And it is all about attitude. Joseph stored grain for 7 years, acting in faith on the word of the Lord. The rich fool built bigger barns and God called him a fool. The difference is that Joseph stored to feed others, the rich fool stored for himself.

In 1527 the plague arrived in Luther’s hometown. He wrote “I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it… If my neighbour needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely and fearlessly.”

That is Christian wisdom – he prayed first, and then took wise practical action, all the while loving his neighbour.

I love that when Agabus prophesied a severe famine was coming, the disciples’ response was to provide help for the believers in Judea (Acts 11:28-29.)

This talk of being prepared, being ready, with famous Christian voices predicting war on the way, is it making you more loving or more afraid?

1 John 4:18 “Perfect love drives out fear.”

As Christians our job is to love God and love people – it’s how Jesus summed up the whole of the Old Testament. So, be ready, but be ready with a heart and door that opens outward to help others.

What does being ready look like?

The point here is that some of us will have the means and storage to do this and some won’t. I think that the example of the early church and church history is that those that are able are called to be ready to help those that can’t.

Bottled water to last three days – every person needs three litres per day for drinking.

A means to cook food that doesn’t rely on electricity or mains gas – you may already have a BBQ or camping stove.

Food for three days – build up a supply of non-perishable items (that you would eat!). If there is no power you won’t be able to cook except on a BBQ or camping stove. Tinned meat and fish, pasta, rice, dried fruit and nuts are examples.

Torches with spare batteries, blankets for warmth.

FM radio that is battery powered or wind up.

Power Bank – a portable charger power bank like this one (Amazon affiliate link)

First aid supplies and hygiene products like hand sanitiser and wet wipes.

Some cash in case card payments go down during an emergency.

The UK government’s suggested list

I found this Facebook post helpful in preparing this article.