Just recently our family was traveling back from India through the Middle East. We took a stopover in Kuwait for two weeks and had some powerful ministering time at different churches there. This provided me with a unique opportunity to witness firsthand the extend of the current economic situation in different parts of the world.

Whether it was the newspaper articles I was reading or the television news I was following, it was clear that even the wealthiest of nations were scrambling under this economic meltdown. Though Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world, the focus was all centered around an unfamiliar subject: “budget deficit”. Something this generation of Kuwaitis had never heard off.

If this is the condition of an oil rich nation, how much more difficult is it for an average family in Canada, these days. The Canadian Press is lately calling it a ‘he-cession’ because it is affecting the men here much more than the women. When men are affected, then the entire family will start to suffer the consequences. This will eventually trickle down to the community as a whole.

What’s the message? At the beginning of the year while in prayer and scripture meditation, my attention was drawn to a passage in the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible. There in chapter 26, we see the life experience of one of the Patriarchs, Isaac, who was going through an economic crisis himself.

While studying the passage, I noticed that it is then and only then, we see the Lord appearing to Isaac for the first time. We must remember that our personal challenges are only opening, channels for Divine Intervention. There is something about the nature of God, that when we go through difficult times, He makes it a priority to see us through.

The Lord then gives Isaac specific instruction with a promise in verse 3: “I will be with you and bless you”. I believe this is exactly what the Lord would say to you today, in your situation. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

In verse 12 & 13 we see what happens at the end: “12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. 13The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous”. Notice that Isaac received a hundredfold in that same year, while others were still going through it.

I would like to point out that this is a direct result of Isaac obeying God’s direction in verse 2 of Genesis 26. There, God is specifically instructing Isaac: “Do not go down to Egypt”. Now for Isaac, ‘going down to Egypt’ would be the most practical thing to do during famine for many reasons. Firstly, the river Nile is there, which runs throughout the year and does not dry. Secondly, the economy there in Egypt, at the time, was much better than where Isaac was living. Thirdly, that is exactly what his father Abraham used to do when he faced famine. In spite of all, Isaac made the choice to obey what God said.

The interpretation: God can still prosper you, regardless of the economic situation in Canada, when you seek, listen and obey. When you start to hear something from God, and if it is not quite making sense, always remember to go back to Him in prayer and ask for more clear direction. He will give it to you. It is not prudent to run off and execute it immediately, based on your assumptions and without first having it clear within you.

I preached this message to the congregation and one of the members later shared with me just how that service changed his life. This man works in one of the national banks in Canada and was concerned about his job and finances during the economic crisis. As he was listening to the message of Genesis 26 he was very encouraged and decided to seek the Lord.

One morning in prayer, his spirit was stirred so much to invest some money in the stock market. He thought the idea was so bizarre, especially at such a time as this. So he continued to pray asking specifically what to do, and as he continued, he sensed to buy stocks of a specific company.

Every day the desire started to get stronger and stronger until finally, in obedience, he went against his logic and bought one hundred stocks. The following days in prayer he was urged to buy more and he bought one hundred and fifty more and then another hundred. So he ended up with three hundred and fifty in total.

Within two weeks he noticed that the stock price went up higher. Others who bought the same were selling and making some profit. Naturally he also thought of doing the same, but in prayer he did not find peace and hence held on to his stocks. Then as the long weekend approached, the price went down again and he was sad and a little bit upset that he had missed his opportunity to make some money.

He kept praying and the following week on Wednesday morning he had peace to sell off all his stocks. He noticed that it had climbed to an all time high. The man was able to make thousands and thousands of dollars in just three weeks time. By simply listening and being obedient to God, he prospered in the midst of the current economic recession.

This is not an advice for you to invest in the stock market, unless the Lord specifically directs you to. I do, however, urge you to seek the Lord in this and in every circumstance. We must be aware that fear, anxiety and depression will try to creep in to the souls of many, while facing these challenging economic times. There must be a strong determination within us not to give in to these temptations. Remember what Asaph teaches us in Psalm 73: 28: “28But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works” (AMP).

In conclusion: here are some of the practical steps we can take
1. seek God through consistent prayer
2. use wisdom to prepare a realistic budget
3. make reasonable sacrifices to live modestly
4. refuse to give-in to fear or depression
5. trust God to take you ‘forward and upward’

Comments

Amen

Comments by :  feba,  June 5, 2009, 3:15 pm