The power of God focused words

Yesterday I called a ministry that we have supported for many years. Unfortunately we had to stop our monthly support at the beginning of this year due to my being laid off. I called them because I know that they have regular prayer meetings and I wanted to let them know that we are still looking for work. I really take God seriously when He calls us to pray, and so I look for partners who will pray with us just as I partner to pray for others.

If we are not on your prayer list please add us and keep us before the throne of grace. The leader of this ministry spent some time on the phone with me and then he prayed with me. During his prayer he talked to God about how David in the Psalms says, "I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread" (Psalm 37:25). Wow! What an incredible promise from God through David. These simple words were such an encouragement. Why? Because they put my mind and heart and hope where it needs to be, on my Lord. If you are going through a tough time. Remember there is no better place to be than resting in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Economic desperation...

How can a Christian respond to the economic desperation that plagues so many of us? (I speak from the position of a laid off person who is looking for work.) I use the term can respond rather than how we should respond intentionally. We all at a base level have heard how we should respond but that does not seem to always help when rubber of real life meets the road of no job. I could quote verses like Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” or Jesus words in  Matthew 6:31-32 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” Anyone who has been a Christian for any amount of time is aware of these passages. While they provide comfort the bigger issue that we often face at times of economic turmoil is an issue that is deeper in our hearts. The core of the problem lies in where we are looking for our security. Are the securities of this world drawing my attention away from my God? Am I stressed by the things that promise to supply my needs but are temporal? God has made the world, the universe and everything in it. He knows my going out and my coming in (Psalm 121:8). If we really are His children and we live in that reality then we should depend on Him like a child does its father. The earlier verses become a potent and powerful comfort in the context of realizing that the battle of desperation is only won in the context of finding our security in God. A God focused life will seek Jesus in the middle of the desperation calling on Him to help us to find our security in Him. It is really an all out desperate grab for the hem of His garment. We need Him to be not just the end of our faith but truly the author of our faith as well. Ask Him to grant you a desire for security in Him that will eclipse the desire for the securities that this world offers. Continue to pursue the opportunities and jobs that God places before you but at the end of the day rest in Him knowing that all the outcomes are in His hands. For further reading on this topic get the free download or buy John Piper's A Hunger for God. It is an excellent resource in any situation that assaults our dependence on God.