Wednesday night at prayer meeting, Pastor Minnick encouraged us about the future. There seems to be much ahead to fear. If things do continue to spiral down economically, we could face lean times such as many in this country are totally unfamiliar with. His tone was not pessimistic. His hope does not lie in the "spirit of the great people of this great country" or the "fundamentals of the economy." He is able to do as the Bible does and look the worst in the face. So what if "the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines"? What happens if "the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food"? How will I take it if "the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls"?
That's poverty, you know. That's a depression like we've never seen in this land. But we've seen footage of it in other lands. And, if you're like me, you watched the news and saw the starving children and huddled refugees and war-torn families crowding around a truck for hours waiting for one bag of sustenence and thought, "How do people go through that?" Perhaps you took it a step further and thought, "I could never handle that." But people do. And they handle it in different ways.
But God's people can respond in a way that is completely unexpected. Really, they can. Look the worst in the face. Don't dwell on doom and gloom, but seriously for a few moments contemplate your absolute worst fears and dread about the financial situation. Then call to mind the promises of God. Was He serious when He said, "Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things"? Can we actually expect "all these things will be added to you" to hold up in this century? If you arrive at a Bible answer to that kind of question, you will, with the ancient prophet, "exult in the LORD" and "rejoice in the God of [your] salvation."
(Bible quotations taken from Habakkuk 3:17-18 and Matthew 6:32-33.)
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5 comments:
I read the Light series by Terry Blackstock. In this book the world as we know it comes to a stop, none of our modern day electronics will work. They have to go back to growing their own food because there are no grocery stores, and killing their own food. These books really make you think what would I do if I were in this situation. I also have thought about what if we do go through a depression again most Americans would not survive. I really love this book series, it also has a great message behind it.
I can't comment on this series as I am unfamiliar with it. As Christians, though, what a blessed thing it is to be sure that whatever situation we face, God will not leave His throne. He does what He desires to do in the earth and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, "What have you done?" as I read just this morning in the book of Daniel.
Glad the post was a blessing!
Saw your post on MoneysavingMom and thought, "Hmmm . . .wonder if she's a BJ alum?" After hopping on over to your blog I confirmed my suspicions (Dr. Minnick was also my Freshman Bible teacher). I too love a good bargain, being a stay-at-home mom, and serving in my local church. From one BJ gal to another, thanks for the encouragement.
Thank you for the comment. It's great to meet up with BJ folks!
I have to ask, though. What made you wonder about Bob Jones in the article on diapers? =)
Thanks again for introducing yourself!
Well, when you mentioned that you son was "in a great day care on the campus of the university I worked for in a building next door to mine," I immediately thought of the CDC. I worked there one semester too. After seeing your bio at the end which said you lived in SC, I thought, "Yep, gotta be BJ." :-) It's a place like no other!
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