Article gotten here:
http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/god-will-provide-foolishness/
Written by Patrice Lewis
I’ve been closely following the struggles of folks in the aftermath of the super-derecho storm that slammed the eastern United States last week. Compounding the disaster are massive power outages and a blistering heat wave. Grocery store shelves have been stripped bare, and gas stations have been unable to get gas or unable to pump it. In short, it’s been a miserable week for millions of people.
If there’s a silver lining to the massive disruption this storm has wreaked, it’s that the need for personal preparedness was underscored. There are various articles that highlight this. I believe everyone should be ready in what I call the Seven Core Areas of Preparedness: food, water, heat, lighting, sanitation, medical and protection.
And yet …
And yet there are some people who claim they don’t need to be prepared because “God will provide.” Despite my total belief in God’s mercy and providence, I confess I have no patience with those who refuse to lift a finger toward their own physical safety or survival on the grounds that the Almighty will supply them with whatever they need.
Usually this reference about God providing happens when the End Times are under discussion. Frankly I don’t know much about End Times and don’t care to, since we’re specifically told we won’t know the day or the hour. But I’ve actually heard some people say with a straight face that they have no need to prepare because “God will provide” or they’ll be raptured up before things get really hairy.
No offense, folks, but that’s about the stupidest contingency plan I’ve ever heard. The End Times aren’t here (yet), but super-derechos and wildfires and earthquakes and power outages and heat waves are. Disruptive natural phenomenon happen all the time. And it’s for these types of events that everyone must prepare according to their means and abilities.
J.G. Holland said, “God gives every bird its food but does not throw it into the nest.” Right now, God has blessed us with an abundance of goods and services in this country, but He isn’t throwing free groceries into our cart. Nor do any of us expect to open our kitchen cupboards in the morning and find them magically filled overnight by Divine providence. It’s up to us obtain those groceries, not God.
Or, as one reader of my blog put it, “I have told the ‘God will supply’ people not to show up on my doorstep when things get tough because ‘I’ am not their God.”
Nor is the government anyone’s god (despite its apparent claims to the contrary). If we look to the government to save us every time Mother Nature throws a nasty storm our way, then of course we’re not going to lift a finger to help ourselves. Why should we? “God” (I mean, the government) will provide, right?
It’s essential to place one’s trust in God, but to assume He will behave in accordance with our interpretation of what we want Him to do is foolish beyond belief. If you fold your hands and refuse to help yourself because of your sincere belief that God will give you full pantries when times get tough, then you’re slothful. It smacks of arrogance. You’re expecting Him to do the work he commands you to do.
I truly believe God expects us to prepare to meet the challenges inherent in life: natural disasters, terrorist attacks, economic downturns and other natural or manmade calamities. In addition to our physical preparedness, we all need spiritual preparedness for comfort, focus and protection.
But to do one without the other – to prepare our souls but not our earthly lives to meet physical challenges – is shortsighted and incomplete.
The Bible is absolutely chock-full of advice for a preparedness mindset, and it exhorts us not to be foolish, slothful, or ignorant. Everything from the stories of Noah or Joseph in Genesis, throughout Proverbs, up to and including Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins, urges people to be vigilant and to keep their lamps lit.
And yet there is a certain subclass of people who won’t do this because, after all, God will provide.
You can argue and bicker all you want. You can disagree with me and tell me my biblical understanding is poor (which it probably is). You can believe all the End Times prophecy until the cows come home – I really don’t care. But don’t use that as an excuse to refuse to prepare.
At this point I’ll make the critical distinction between those who can’t prepare and those who won’t.
There are those who unable to be prepared due to age, illness, disability, finances, or other factors. For those who can’t prepare due to any of these reasons, we must be ready to offer assistance as best we can. A significant part of a prepping lifestyle is mercy and charity, just as it should be a significant part of our walk with God. We must never forget the importance of treating our most vulnerable citizens with compassion.
But this compassion wanes when we encounter those who won’t prepare. These are people who have the means to put aside food and water, but refuse to believe such actions are advisable. Simply put, they are in denial that anything bad can ever happen to them. After all, God will provide.
Grocery and gas prices will continue to rise. Storms will hit, electricity will fail, wildfires will ravage, and the economy will continue to tank. But hey, feel free to fold your hands like the sluggard and do nothing to help you or your family through hard times. That’s your choice. Just don’t expect anyone else to come riding to the rescue.
God told you to help yourself and you didn’t listen. You expected Him to provide without your effort. Remember 1 Timothy 5:8: “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” And 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
There’s an old saying that goes, “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.”
In light of last week’s reminder, perhaps those are wise words indeed.
Jul 08, 2012 @ 16:00:32
What if your supplies are destroyed in a catastrophic event and the supplies of others destroyed as well? It is very possible. There are instances in the O.T. where those did not have anything available, Joseph comes to mind= whole nations suffering famine, the widow, Elijah by the brook & others. I do see the signs of the Last Days. Famine in many places. Wars.
Christians being persecuted, I saw a video of the M.E. beheading a young Christian because he is a Christian, he did not recant.Christians are the most persecuted people now in the world. I believe we live in the Last Days.
Men trusting in their own right arm may be disappointed. Trusting in God works, those who believe they will not come into a time such as this are deceiving themselves. The currency of nations are failing and may happen here. The N.T. Church had things in common, they did not tithe. They were told = as one determines in his heart so let him give….we are our brother’s keeper. As a family who suffered devastation (our own years ago and family and church did not help) we could not trust in others. God provided. We can never trust in ourselves, others, govt. We can trust in God alone. Those trusting in God will never be disappointed. Scripture saying we will not know the day or the hour is not referring to the End Times, it is referring to the Rapture. It gives us signs and everyone is here. Famine, Wars, so much more.
We are to Love God and then love others. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, what we say is what is in our hearts.
It is far from foolish to trust in God. We do not trust in our own right arm, what we can do.
We are under the U.N.now. Look up what they can do and have done to our nation and people. Look up all the presidential executive orders and bypassing Congress to make laws we must obey. This one world govt is here. The people are unaware. Look up Fema. So much taking place while the people do not know.
I have water and food put up but I can not trust they will be there! Floods/Tsunami’s and earthquakes and much more could wipe out everything. What we have could be destroyed in minutes.
Our nation is despised around the world. They are talking about WW3 with nuclear bombs. Our nation is changing and not for the better. Laws passed without Congress and not for our good.
Many are asleep, can neither see nor hear. We are commanded to love. As we therefore have opportunity we are to do good unto all men, says scripture.
We all must know scripture well, we hide it in our hearts. In God there is HOPE, I have never found it any other place or in men or govt nor any other thing, especially in myself = what I can do.
ALL ARE FREE TO BELIEVE AS THEY PLEASE. I believe our Lord shall soon return for HIS BRIDE, LIKE THOSE TEN VIRGINS IN SCRIPTURE. I also believe and am sad to say most of the Church will be left behind with the Great Tribulation. I say this because so many believers love their lives here, what they have they do not want to leave. They love this earth more than they love wanting to leave. I know the Father wants a Bride who loves His Son more than anything and wants Him to come now so they can be with the one they love and not want Him to delay His Return.
We pray others will want that as well, desiring Him more than anything they have or might leave. There is a place for all, we choose. We choose in whom we trust and in what we trust.
If something comes to take all we have, we can trust in Him, believing and trusting in what we can do is what is foolish in my eyes. IF YOU THINK ME FOOLISH, YOU ARE WELCOME TO YOUR OPINION.
All are free to believe as they please. I just disagree. Study scripture. Ask God, He will get the answer to you of what you ask. I pray for everyone to know Him well, to follow Him alone. Not trusting in any man. Love never fails.
Jul 08, 2012 @ 16:29:35
Wanda, of course we can not just automatically trust our food, water, etc. will be there in the event of a catastrophe. Destruction can come quickly to any of us in the events like you describe. I do not trust in any reousrces I may have. First off, God is the Provider. Anything and everything I have comes from His provision, not mine. I think we can agree on that. I do not think you are foolish by any means. The point of this article in my eyes, is how some Christians just automatically say they are trusting in God, yet when it comes right down to it, they are trusting in YOUR resources if the doo doo hits the fan. I’ve known people like this who feel “called to be in the ministry” thus desiring to quit their job and then what? They sit back and wait for the flock to support them. This I have a problem with. I do not understand how you disagree with the article. I think it was well said. I do not see any disagreement here between you and I.
Jul 08, 2012 @ 17:19:47
I do not disagree with you either. I simply felt the article did not represent others at all. It was very critical towards those who “trust in God” in my opinion. All are not in the same group. Circumstances differ, we do not understand everything. The article appeared one-sided to me. Perhaps I missed something but did not get a picture of one’s efforts failing to such a point as just “trusting in God”.
I believe the author of the article meant well but was only seeing those trusting in God as lazy, etc. This is not meant to belittle the author. Not knowing their hearts, their intentions perhaps it is not as we think every time. Considering scripture and the Last Days comments among others, I disagreed with much of what she espouses. She is welcome to advance her beliefs and opinions. I am sure she loves God. I was not questioning that at all. I very much respect your opinion as I have read your comments in several posts. You have a depth of knowledge of scripture. Not all do. There is much I do not know and I do not claim otherwise. I am not a teacher, I am a student since a youth and am now 70 this month. It is my great pleasure to study scripture and I can only speak from what I have learned thus far. We can only trust scripture and not in any man. We study for ourselves. If we fail to study we can not know. Many may disagree with me and that is their choice. It does matter what we believe and what we say. It must be backed up with scripture and to do that we must know scripture.
I know you know scripture, many know a little. A few know much. I can not get enough, we run after Him because we KNOW Him. It is wonderful that He allows us to know Him, to love Him, to learn His Word and to grow in the knowledge of the Word, to spend time with the Word…wonderful gifts to us. We hunger to know more and so we study. We spend time with Him to establish and grow our relationship.
Not everyone knows Him as do you. Yet, they can, He is available, as much as we desire. We choose how we spend our time. I tell the youth you will spend your time on something, spend it on Him and you will reap eternal rewards.
He is coming and His Reward is with Him. I hear many speak of what rewards they will receive when actually He is the Reward!
Bless you for this website. Many find truth about much here. It is very much needed. May all who come here learn including myself. The depth of His Love for all of us was shown forth on the Cross but He is no longer on the Cross. We know that God is for us and not against us thus says scripture. I do not want to offend Him nor do I want to offend others. I desire to please Him only= every time= which may cause one to be offended, I care not what others think of me, I care very much what He thinks of me. Do I make mistakes? Yes!!! while I trust Him to correct me. I have always prayed, do not let me be deceived. I trust He will do that as long as I follow Him. He has corrected me many times in the past and today. I trust Him only & I welcome His correction, I desire with all my heart He do so. I need the truth for He is the Truth.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 11:22:33
The writer of this article has a point. I believe Paul addressed this in 2 Thess 3:10. Seems the M.O of these ‘God will provide’/ ‘Hey, am looking to the Rapture to be delivered’ people have changed over the millenia(Correct me if am wrong but it’s the closest analogy I can come up with). They seem to be in the same boat with unbelievers adrift on THIS cruise liner called EARTH and heading to the waterfall, heedless of the need to be watchful and follow the instructions to bail out.
P.S Your reply will be helpful!