What's in Your Wallet?

Is it just me, or is the world becoming a more scary place? Terrorism threats, global warming, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, high gas prices, serial killers, cancer, AIDS, heart attacks…the list goes on and on. Sometimes it seems that we live under a looming cloud of any number of impending catastrophes. It is no wonder that heart disease is a leading cause of death.

We shouldn’t be surprised. The Bible says in the last days, men’s hearts will fail them for fear of all the things that are coming on the earth. Stress is a major contributor to heart ailments and daily life on this planet can be very stressful.

Of all the modern stressors, perhaps the one that hits closest to home is the financial crisis being experienced around the world. We can more easily dismiss disasters that happen somewhere else, to someone else. But when it affects our wallet, it gets personal. What will happen if Wall Street falls?…if the banks fail?…if companies go bankrupt? Can we – or should we? – depend on the government to bail us out? What is the answer? Who do we turn to for the help we need?

Those of us too young to remember the Great Depression of 1929 have heard the horror stories of people jumping to their deaths from high rise buildings when the stock market crashed. Just the thought of losing pension plans or retirement funds or life savings is enough to cause most of us to lose sleep at night. Having a nest egg or a rainy day fund gives us a feeling of security.

The reality is that no government intervention nor any amount of money can protect us from the consequences of a national or worldwide economic collapse. It is only our trust in God that can keep us truly secure. He has promised to meet our needs just as he provides food for the sparrow and clothes the lilies of the field. Money isn’t the source of our supply. God is. It isn’t what’s in your wallet that matters so much, but Who’s in your heart. God not only has the answer, he is the answer.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, NIV).

Prayer: Lord, you have promised to meet our needs if we trust in you. Give us the courage to face whatever comes, knowing that we do not face it alone. When we feel helpless, remind us that you are our hope and our help in any situation. Amen.

--Hazel King
Copyright 2008
(Photo by Corliss Sinclair, Torrington, CT)