Maybe you have seen the posts. Someone shares a screenshot about a grid warning, and a hundred comments later half the people are stocking their garages and the other half are telling everyone to relax. You are left wondering whether getting ready makes you wise or whether it means you do not trust God.
Short answer: the Bible praises wise preparation and warns against fearful panic, and they are not the same thing. You can keep a flashlight in the drawer and still be at rest in God’s care. Let’s look at what Scripture says and what is actually happening.
What Is Actually Going On
On October 12, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order for the Mid-Atlantic power grid, in effect October 13 through October 16. The reasons given were expected high demand, a high rate of planned power plant outages during the fall maintenance season, and several planned transmission outages. The order gave the grid operator extra tools, including the ability to call on backup generation, to keep the system stable.
In plain terms, officials took a precaution because the grid was stretched thin for a few days. It was not a declaration that a blackout was coming, and that order has since ended. Grid operators and utilities say these steps exist to prevent outages, not announce them. If you want to know about your own area, your utility’s website is the best place to check, rather than a viral post.
What the Bible Says About Preparing
Proverbs 22:3 (NIV): “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” The prudent person is not the fearful person. She sees what is reasonable, takes sensible steps, and moves on.
Proverbs 6:6-8 (NIV) points us to a small teacher: “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.” Planning ahead is held up as wisdom.
Joseph’s story in Genesis 41 shows God using a plan to store grain through seven plentiful years so that Egypt, and Joseph’s own family, would survive the famine that followed. Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 includes the line (verse 4, NIV), “The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.” The wise were ready, and the story’s point is spiritual readiness, but it still honors the idea of being prepared.
What the Bible Says About Fear-Driven Prepping
At the same time, Jesus warns us not to let worry run the show. Matthew 6:34 (NIV): “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” And 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV): “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
So how do we tell the difference? Here are a few honest questions to ask yourself:
- Am I calm or frantic? Wise preparation feels steady. Fear-driven buying feels urgent and breathless.
- Is this proportionate? A few days of water and food is ordinary. Pulling your savings and emptying shelves because a stranger online said the end is near is not.
- Where did the urgency come from? If it came from a reliable source, like your utility or local emergency office, take it seriously. If it came from a video selling a product or a prophecy, slow down.
- Am I thinking about others? Galatians 6:2 (NIV) says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Panic hoarding takes from our neighbors. Preparation that includes the elderly woman next door reflects Christ.
A Calm, Practical Checklist
If you would like to be ready for a storm, a winter outage, or a few hours without power, here is a simple starting point that does not require a bunker:
- Flashlights or headlamps with fresh batteries, plus a few candles used carefully
- A few days of drinking water and non-perishable food your family will actually eat
- A charged power bank for your phone, and a battery or crank radio
- Prescription refills not left to the last day, and a basic first aid kit
- Some cash in small bills, since card machines may not work
- A paper list of key phone numbers and a family plan for where to meet
- Warm blankets and layers. If you ever use a generator, run it outdoors and away from windows, never inside, because of carbon monoxide danger.
Check on elderly neighbors, people who depend on medical equipment, and anyone alone. That is the church being the church.
Light in the Dark
Even if the lights do go out someday, our hope never depended on electricity. John 1:5 (NIV) says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” A blackout might change your evening, but it cannot change your Savior. Light a candle, read a psalm aloud with your family, and let a dark night be a quiet one.
This post is part of a series on fear in uncertain times. Start with the overview in Afraid of What’s Coming?, and read Afraid of the Economy? and How to Spot a False Prophet for the rest.
Have you been feeling pulled between preparing and panicking? Share where you are in the comments, and I will pray for you.
If you would rather listen than read, watch the video version below.
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You are chosen and loved by our Heavenly Father. Have a blessed day!
News source: U.S. Department of Energy press release, October 12, 2026.
