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Following a six month hiatus, Finance Fridays are back.
I probably should turn off the TV and stop reading the news (whether it be in Newspapers or on the internet). Our global economy is in a crisis. Credit seems to be nearly extinct. Banks around the world are failing and stock markets from Hong Kong to New York to London are seeing record drops in value.
I (like many of you) have not been shielded from the woes of our economy. I have seen the value of my retirement drop nearly 23% in 10 days alone (and nearly 33% from it’s all-time weighted average). I look at the economy and wonder how to be a steward through these times, especially when wisdom seems to be hard to come by and anxiety is readily available.
I also realize that there are many families who are struggling to make ends meet. The injustices associated with the failure of banking institutions and fraud have affected them far more than us. I think of the families who are evicted from their homes because the landlord is not able to make the mortgage payment. I think of unemployed parents who are unable to find a job to pay basic bills.
Several passages of scripture have stood out to me in recent days that have pointed me back to God. The first one comes from Psalm 4:
When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.
I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
A few things stand out to me from this section of this psalm:
- Disturbance leaves the door open to sin. Just this past week, a man who lives locally, murdered his three children, wife and mother-in-law, before taking his own life because of the economy. The man, who works in the financial services industry, had been unable to find employment. Though most of us would not go to such extreme and tragic ends, anxieties can lead us to make decisions that would ultimately bring more harm than good.
- This season should remind us to trust in God. We need to be trusting God in every season. Yet, seasons of duress have a way of reminding us that though everything in life is unstable and unpredictable, God is not. If my trust remains in the American economy or my retirement account or the value of my house, I will be sorely disappointed.
- Joy that comes from God is superior to any other kind of joy. The psalmist writes that the gladness that God put in his heart is more than when grain and wine abound. Many people enjoyed the abundance of the past 7 years. But the joy that God offers is much better than when we enjoy any economic abundance. I want to learn and enjoy the gladness that comes from God.
- Only God provides peace and safety. It is tempting to put our security in the material. It is tempting to judge our security based on our bottom line. But only God offers security and peace. A month ago, one of the money market funds (which are supposed to be the safest type of investment) reported that they were cutting their investor’s value. This illustrates to me that even the safest things on this side of heaven are far from how God extends safety and security to his people.
The government continues to think of ways to fix our economy. I’m not an economist to judge what are necessary and fiscally sound solutions to our problems. What I do know is that perhaps what we need are not just more smart economists to fix our problems, but faithful men and women who will pray alongside the hurting, helping people to know what it means to have gladness in our heart that is more than when grain and wine abound.
My prayer comes out of Paul’s letter to the Philippians,
Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus… I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being b well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
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