This year has been a difficult time for many people. Most people believe we are still in one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. Every week the prayer requests get more and more serious. People have lost their homes and their jobs. Unemployment is at record highs and people are worried about their retirement. It’s never a fun thing to go through difficult times, but know this… God can use difficulties to stretch our trust in Him. Faith that isn’t tested isn’t really faith.
Who do you look to for answers when times get tough? The answer is NOT in any politician or political party. Some people respond to an economic crises by hiding away their money. They check their stocks, investments, and checking/savings accounts several times a day; and stayed glued to the news channel 24/7. For these people… money worries adversely impact their lives.
But the Believer responds to an economic crisis by trusting God. They remember that God doesn’t forget about His children and remember His promise:
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV
We tend to worry about that which we bring close to us. For example, the sun is thousands of times the size of the earth and yet on a bright shiny day all it takes is your hand to block the sun from your eyes. Your hand is a gazillion times smaller than the sun, but it can block out the sun because it’s closer to you. The lesson is that whatever we bring CLOSE to us is what is magnified in our life.
So what is your focus? Is it the things of the world or is it God’s grace? We live in a society where it’s so easy to obsess over the economy with continuous access to news and information. What would happen if we spent AT LEAST as much time with God and His Word?
You can sit and worry. Worry has been described as a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. It would be a far better thing to sit and pray… bringing the LOVE and GRACE of God up close.
In His Grip,
Bill