Time to panic or time to pray:
A message of hope
When the state of the economy hits home is when you and those you love start to feel it. When it
affects those you love, it really hits home, hard. Is it time to panic?
In the western world, the
majority of young people have never lived through extremely difficult,
financial times. The elderly seniors of today and many of the older baby
boomers have known hard times, over the course of their lives. Their parents
and grandparents have related numerous experiences of extremely hard times, far
beyond what people are going through today.
Looking realistically at the
economy, one must realize that the decline in the global economy is still not
as severe or anywhere near as serious in most countries, as it could become
in the future. The global economy may never hit the same kinds of financial
lows that have taken place, in the past. Look at what happened in the last one
hundred years or go back even prior to that time.
Of course, there are some
countries that are affected adversely by the declining economy, in conjunction
with other factors like war, natural disasters, over-population and changing
weather patterns. Somehow, people managed to survive during the difficult times
of the past. Many people thrived because of their unique beliefs,
ingenuity, educational status and excellent, financial management principles.
These people were builders, who
took advantage of every opportunity they had to do something positive and
constructive for themselves and their families. They worked hard to improve
their own situations and that of their neighbors. They succeeded in making
changes in their communities and their countries. They made major changes for
the better, throughout the entire world, in spite of extremely hard times.
What was the basic principle
that united them?
Underlying the state of the economy in every part of the
world, there is always another factor that comes into play, whether people are
aware of it or not. In times of wealth, people may forget about basic
principles of morality. They may choose to ignore God and deny His existence
entirely, because they think that belief in God is compatible with their
standards of morality, which may be on the decline, as well. They may be too
busy enjoying their lives to care about their morals. What happens to other
people and their families, may not be of concern to them, either.
They may not realize that the
only reason that they can do what they do or live the way that they live, is
because they have been blessed financially or otherwise, in one way or another. Perhaps it
was their parents and grandparents who laid the groundwork, for their wealth.
In many instances, these people are reaping the benefits of years of hard work,
sown by their predecessors.
In our era, suddenly the bottom
appears to be falling out of the economy. Is there anyone there to hear the cry
for help? Remember that those at the top of the financial pillars have the
farthest to fall and will cry the loudest. The poor are accustomed to being
poor and many of them are resigned to the reality of poverty. They may become
even poorer, during hard times.
At the same time, there is an
all seeing, all knowing, omnipotent and omnipresent God, who hears all things, including
every cry for help, whether it is from the rich or the poor. Whether anyone
realizes it or not, God is still in control. His basic principle of morality
has always been applicable in the past and it is still valid for this era.
The Ten Commandments, in
conjunction with the Biblical mandate, "Love of God and one another,"
is a basic, moral principle for people to live by. This includes every
Christian community or nation, all around the world and should include those
who are not Christian. While people of other cultures deny God, they
may still believe in the divine and divine providence. Regardless of religious
beliefs, both Christians and non-Christians have one factor in common and that
is love.
In our era, when people are in
need of financial help, because of the declining economic status of the
country, an atheistic challenge of probability has arisen this past year, in
the United Kingdom
Probability signs are posted on
city buses.
The complete slogan reads:
"There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." (1)
Obviously, this is not
something that true Christians would approve of or accept. Should it even be
allowed? More importantly, what does this say about the state of the economy or
the state of the nation as a whole?
"The atheist posters are
the idea of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and have been supported by
prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins." (2)
Be aware that atheistic thought
always denies God, plus all of His blessings, including His blessings on the
economy of a nation and the world.
“No God slogans for city's
buses." (3)
This article, from the BBC News website, dated Tuesday,
October 28, 2008, suggested that thirty "bendy-buses" were going to
be carrying this sign for four weeks. (4)
"There's probably no
God."
Challenge that statement, with
these three statements.
"There's probably a
God."
"There is a God."
"God exists."
Which of these four statements
would be of the most help to people, who are suffering, from the declining
global economy?
If the initial statement
"There's probably no God," is truly valid, then there is absolutely
no need for concern about anything or anyone and life goes on as usual, at
least for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the poor continue to suffer. There is no
divine help for anyone.
But, if the other three
statements are valid, woe to those who stand to lose everything, as the economy
continues to decline even further. Those who will feel it the most, will be the
ones who have the most to lose. They will be hit the hardest.
According to the Bible,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" Matthew 5:3.
There will be a leveling of the
playing field.
Unbelievers always say no to
God, not realizing that they are saying no to everything else that His
existence includes, as well. Believers say yes to God, but in conjunction with
His moral values, based upon the Ten Commandments and His Biblical mandate for
people to "Love God and one another."
Ask yourself this question. If
you were God, would you prefer to bless those who deny your existence and
refuse to live according to your basic, moral principles and mandate or would
you bless those who believe in you?
There probably is a God. There
is a God. God is.
This is not a probability
issue, but rather, a faith issue. There are always going to be those
who say 'yes, no or maybe so', to God. That is part of the nature of man and his
free will, according to the Bible. God has created human beings in such a way,
that they can choose who or what they believe in. Either you believe in God, or
you don't. You choose either for or against Him. Ultimately, there are
consequences that follow the choice that you make.
For everyone who is currently
suffering economic woes, why not turn to God for help? Don't panic; instead,
pray. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by doing that. Pray for
the economy and the probability thinkers, too. Make an active choice for God,
not against Him.
Make a proactive choice between
panic and prayer. There is no point in giving your time to panic, as panic is
always rooted and grounded in fear. Should fear control our lives or destinies?
No.
Give your time to prayer. Prayer is rooted and grounded in the "Love
of God and one another." Love is the guiding and controlling principle of
life. "Perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:8
Ultimately, this is a message
of hope, not hopelessness.
When the state of the economy
hits home, pray! Pray for your families, communities, countries and the world,
as well as the global economy. Consider this a call to prayer.
1.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7681914.stm
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
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