“Keep your powder dry” is not a call to arms but it is meant to remind us of what sacrifices were made to establish and build this great country. It also reminds those who would seek to overpower the people and “take over” the country what “we the peoples” options are.
Origin
According to Wikipedia
“Trust in God and keep your powder dry” is a maxim attributed to Oliver Cromwell, but whose first appearance in print was in 1834 in the poem “Oliver’s Advice” by William Blacker, with the words “Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry!”[1] The poem is a dramatic representation of Cromwell addressing his army during the invasion of Ireland. Edward Hayes, who edited the anthology in which the work first appeared, calls it a “well-authenticated anecdote of Cromwell.”[1]
1. Stewart, Fitz (1834). “Oliver’s Advice”. The Dublin University Magazine.
Definition
Dictionary.com
Keep one’s powder dry
Stay alert, be careful, as in Go ahead and take on the opposition, but keep your powder dry. This colloquial expression, which originally alluded to keeping gunpowder dry so that it would ignite, has been used figuratively since the 1800s but today is less common than take care.
Cambridge Dictionary
Keep your powder dry to wait before taking action, but be ready to take action if it is necessary: think some potential candidates are going to keep their powder dry and see how it’s playing out.
I’m going to keep my powder dry and get as much information as I can before I commit to anything.
We are keeping some powder dry in case markets fall again.