In hard times

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"In hard times" By Diane Webb

Psalms 33: 19—"To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine."

God watches over us and saves us in times of famine—or other disaster. He keeps us alive to fulfill his purpose according to his will. Although God does chose to take individuals home with him sometimes, he delivers people from death when it is not time for them to die. He also looks after his children during hard times like now. In the midst of these troublesome times, there are still people and businesses prospering. Those who are righteous have food, shelter, and clothing even if it's through the charity of others. Sure, Christians face hard times like everyone else but there is something different in the way a Christian faces hardship in comparison to a non-Christian. Also, God uses hard times to better his people—to help them grow strong in character and faith. Those who accept Jesus as their savior are taken care of one way or another. If they lose their job and they trust God will provide—and God does provide. Can you think of a time you were delivered from physical death? How many "close calls" have you had? How are you faring in this economy? Do you have what you need? Just as God took care of Joseph and his family during the time of the Egyptian famine (Genesis 41), he takes care of us through hard times as well. After being saved and getting your life in line with God's will, how often have you had to go hungry? Do you trust God to provide for you or are you still worrying about things you can do nothing about? Luke 12: 24 says, "Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouses nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?" These are difficult times for families and individuals. The cost of living keeps going up yet salaries do not. So many people are losing jobs, homes, and life savings. People are getting down to just surviving from day to day. Whole families have had to move in with relatives. People are spending less on non-essentials. As people spend less, businesses close and others lose their jobs. Then the cycle repeats itself with another family. It's a downward spiral. Notice the change in values over the past few years. People are learning to prioritize and figure out ways to save. People are drawing closer together. Men and women are reaching out to help others in need—friends, families, co-workers—like never before. There seems to be an increasing spirit of compassion in many communities. We are realizing that hard times can happen to anyone—even to us. We understand it's not always laziness, sinfulness, or low character that leads to joblessness, poverty, or homelessness. We are no longer judging others who are facing hard times. There are stories about good will towards fellow men too. For example, there was a landlord who, rather than evict a jobless tenant, went to work himself to pay his bills since he had previously been relying on rent. This is just one example of how people have been moved to help others going through a hard time. Everyone suffering cannot be called unrighteous. Let's not make the mistake of Job's friends who blamed him for his own hardship. What you can be sure of is that God is in control in the lives of his children. It may not make sense to us why some people are losing jobs and others are not. However, if we trust God, we understand that he knows what he is doing. God is in control and in the end he will deliver his children from death.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for my prosperity and that of my family. Thank you for providing for us in these difficult financial times. I pray, Lord, you will lead me to exercise compassion towards others and demonstrate your love and good will as you would have me to. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.