Today’s quote by Helen Keller gives a lot to ponder on: “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

I’ll be honest and say that when I first read this quote, my first instinct was to balk at it. What do you mean I can’t be secure? Of course I can! I’ve got my generator and my canned food and my garden out back….

But then I thought some more. Am I really in control? Yes, I have done everything I can to prepare for the hard times that might come, but does that mean I am impervious to danger? What if a tornado destroyed all my aboveground storage? What if a flood ruined everything I have stored in the tornado shelter? What would I do then?

The truth is, any security that comes from ourselves will ultimately crumble under pressure. In the end, we are not the ones who control time or space–only the One who holds the world in His hands gives us security. God is the only Rock that will truly stand the storms and floods; He is the one who gives us shelter.

So does that mean we shouldn’t bother to prepare? Absolutely not! As Helen Keller pointed out, pretending that there is no danger is foolish. We need to recognize the danger in the world and be prepared to face it head on. In fact, God commands us to work hard and do our best to provide for hard times. At least twice in the book of Proverbs, we are told to look at the ant–though it is small, it works hard to store up food during the summer to prepare for the winter.

But in the end, we must always remember that ultimate security is not found in ourselves or our provisions or our plans. It is found in the One who provided all those things to begin with.

Editor, OfftheGridNews