“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24, 25
We find ourselves in a time of crisis, anxiety and fear. Leaders are worried. Forecasters are making discouraging predictions. And the news media stays focused on these negative reports. What’s going on? There is a crisis of credit and stability in financial markets causing panic and fear. A lack of discipline in the mortgage industry has lead to a number a failures of financial institutions breading a sense of insecurity around the world. But we who are believers should not give into fear. Fear originates as a thought to cause us to doubt our situation and our outlook for the future. Satan uses such pressures to paralysis us and to conform us to his will. Fear makes the word of God ineffective in our lives as Jesus explained in Luke 8:13-14
Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
But next in verse 15 Jesus notes that there are those who hold tightly to the word with patience are the ones produce a harvest. And that is what we are all seeking, a harvest from our work and our investments. But fear and anxiety would discourage and make us quit before our harvest arrives. Yet, we must not be overcome by discouragement in our present circumstances. We have to learn to operate not based on what we can see but what we can expect to accomplish through our confidence and obedience to the Lord and his word. And that is how we can benefit from this crisis. By itself this financial crisis is not good because of the loss of investments, savings and jobs. But something good can come out of it when we learn to make God our source.
Scarcity, downturns and famines are typical in this world which operates on a system that is separated from God. But God, not being limited can overcome the limits of our natural world. Take the example of Isaac in Genesis 26:
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar. The LORD appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I will tell you of. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For to you, and to your seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. Genesis 26:1-4
Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. The LORD blessed him. The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great. He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him. Genesis 26:12-14
What was different about Isaac? He and his family had a special relationship, a covenant with the God. And when Isaac did his part, which was to believe and obey, then God would do his part, take care of his needs. Thus, when we operate according to God’s word we are able to weather the crisis and even prosper.
It is when we try to live without God and we place our trust in our own abilities or in others that we will encounter difficulties as described in Jeremiah 17:5, 6:
Thus says The LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Yahweh. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.
Yet, we can achieve a different outcome when we place our confidence in the Lord:
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7, 8
God is able to make us abound even in times of famine and scarcity.
We are believers, not doubters! We should not let fear take hold of our lives. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control”. It is not our job to worry, but to take control of our thoughts, believe and obey by placing our selves under the Lordship of Christ. That is, we do what he tells us just like at the wedding in Cana in second chapter of the gospel of John.
The third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.” Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews’ manner of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast.” So they took it. When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:1-11
When we listen and obey the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed One, then we will see his glory taking place in our lives.
Therefore, as believers we must remember our position:
• We are possessors of eternal life. What is eternal life? Not just a life without end, but a quality of life; we are sustained and supported by the life of God-an unending supply! We must recognize that we possess this life and start appropriating its benefits.
• We are recipients of God’s love. He cares for us and desires his best for us. The only things that keep us separated us from his goodness are our transgressions and our lack of obedience to his commands and conditions. Paul reminds us that, “Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him,” 1 Corinthians 2:9.
• We have God’s joy. What can we be sad about when we realize that we have access to his blessing, power and provision? We do not have to wait to win a multi-million dollar lottery be excited and happy that all our cares and worries are taken care of. We already do not need to worry or fret. We just need to find out what are God’s requirements for us and place our trust in him. We can be joyful, not for what we see now in our lives, but because we will see in the end, the results of our faith.
• We have grace sufficient for our lives today:
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
His strength is available when we feel weak. We are able to appropriate by faith and then we refuse to go by how we feel.
• We are possessors of God’s blessing:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus… Galatians 3:13, 14
That same blessing that was on Abraham and then Isaac and then Jacob is on us also. We are blessed with all God’s blessings:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3
But we possess them in the spiritual from. We bring them to fruition through our faith or confidence in God and our obedience. Jesus taught in John 6:
This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.… I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:29, 25
And the Apostle John writes in 1 John 3:
Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded. 1 John 3:21-23
How then do we respond to this crisis? We need to insure that we have the right foundation Jesus said:
“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24, 25
What can we do to establish this foundation in our lives?
1. Die to our own fears, worries, ideas and plans. Jesus said In John 12:
The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most assuredly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. John 12:23-25
2. Take control of our thoughts and mediate in God’s word. Proverbs 23:7 tell us that, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. So when we listen to what the world is saying and we consider and mediate on that we will not be able to believe the God’s word; we will not have confidence that God is able to do as he promised. But when we mediate on God’s word day and night, then we will develop courage and confidence in the Lord:
This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate thereon day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Joshua 1:8
3. Cast our care on the Lord. The devil will try to pressure us with bad news and fear. But dwelling and meditating on negative news is not our job any more. Our job is to be expectant and confident about our lives and our future. Thus, whenever worries or fears arise in our hearts we simply roll them off on the Lord and we do not take them back upon ourselves.
4. We delight ourselves in the Lord:
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4
We find our joy in him and doing the things that bring us closer to him.
5. Be faithful. We are faithful in our service and in our responsibilities to the Lord.
He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? Luke 16:10-12
Our faithfulness demonstrates to the Lord that he can trust us with more.
6. Listen to the Lord; find out what he wants us to do.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers… I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. John 10:3-5, 9, 10
We will find the abundant life that the Lord has for us as we obey his voice.
7. Do not go by what we see or hear. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that, “we walk by faith, not by sight”.
8. Bring our words in line with God’s words. Jesus only spoke what the Father taught him to say. He never spoke negatively about himself or his circumstances:
Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things. John 8:26
9. And be obedient to God in your giving:
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38
Now is not the time to slack off in our giving. Let us look beyond our own needs to the needs of others.
Thus, we can outlast and even thrive in the current crisis as we maintain our foundation of faith, confidence and obedience to God.
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