Practical Life: Faith & Our Finances

“And He will be the stability of your times . . .”

(Isaiah 33:6 ESV)

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Reflection: What is Happening in Our World?

Recently, I posted a marriage survey in my sidebar. About 50% of you said the current recession had drawn you and your spouse closer together or it had created unexpected tensions. The other 50% of you said your marriage had not been affected by the economic downturn. The following article excerpt by Barbara Rainey (FamilyLife) is addressed to the former group—those who are experiencing some kind of negative fallout.

"Since the U.S. economy started its sharp slide last fall, I've done a lot of thinking about what this all means to me, to my family, and to our nation and world. While watching this downturn, my thoughts have gone from, 'This is interesting' to 'This is perplexing.' If it keeps falling, the prevailing emotions could inch nearer to frightening.

For now, the word 'perplexing' accurately describes my vantage point. My family has been affected in several ways. My husband, Dennis, is working harder than ever here at FamilyLife, putting in 50-hour weeks trying to find ways to cut expenses and increase revenue. I just talked to one of our sons who said they are living hand to mouth, barely making ends meet. And I know it's true. Their pantry was bare when we visited last month. Another son and our son-in-law are both doing the same, working harder than ever trying to keep their families fed and their payments made... This leads to the question, What is God up to?

While I do not have the answer, I think it's good that we ask questions like this. We who claim to belong to God must be measuring our experience against the truth. We know that God is not passive. He is not sitting idly by just watching. That is not His character. Instead, God is intricately and intimately involved in the rise and fall of nations and in the comings and goings of all people.

I can be perplexed and still be found having faith. Only when I move to despair, which means hopelessness, am I not living in faith.

Yesterday in my Bible study class I heard a verse that I do not think I've ever noticed before. It was as if lights flashed around it, dramatically grabbing my attention. This one short phrase fits this season of our American life perfectly: 'And He will be the stability of your times' (Isaiah 33:6).

...Our hope cannot be in money, a job, our house, our friends or family, and certainly our hope cannot be in Washington, D.C. All of those will disappoint...

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8 that he was 'perplexed, but not despairing' when he was in the midst of trials and troubles. I have found great comfort in recent seasons of suffering in that short phrase. It is okay to be confused, baffled, and even mystified at the circumstances of my life.
I can be perplexed and still be found having faith. Only when I move to despair, which means hopelessness, am I not living in faith.

We cannot know what tomorrow will bring but we know the One who will bring it. And that alone can keep us from despair as He brings stability to our times."

Click here to read this article in its entirety. For FamilyLife's excellent Culture Watch weblog click here.

Related Elsewhere

1. "Who is the Primary Provider?" Dr. Emerson Eggerichs (Love and Respect Reflects) discusses why a wife's salary can strain a marriage—and how to deal with it.

2. "Two shall become One Tuesday." Sue Cramer
(Praise and Coffee) offers timely advice for supporting our husbands during this tough economy.

"There is no way to learn of faith except through trials. They are God's school of faith, and it is much better for us to learn to trust Him than to live a life of enjoyment. And once the lesson of faith has been learned, it is an everlasting possession and an eternal fortune gained. Yet without trust in God, even great riches will leave us in poverty."
—L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert

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Photos: Amit (Sydney) & dreamofdaylight (Flickr)

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