Making It Through Tough Economic Times

Today’s Reading – 1 Kings 16 – 17 

There is a great lesson to be learned from the widow of Zarephath here in chapter 17.  She was living in one of the toughest times in the history of Israel.  The land was experiencing a severe drought that was to last three years.  When she came to the end of her oil and flour and was about to make the last meal of bread, along comes the man of God asking her to give it to him.  It goes against every natural human feeling to put somebody else first before yourself and the needs of your family; but this widow woman trusted the man of God who told her that if she would do as he said, she would never run out of food.  She listened, and for three years, during one of the worst famines in Israel’s history, God fed her and her son; and the prophet of God. 

We have similar promises in the New Testament: 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) 

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38) 

I have observed something over the past few years during our econoomic downturn.  Some people have kept right on serving God; they have kept putting him first.  They have not cut back on their giving; they have not cut back on their serving; and God has continued to bless their families in remarkable ways.  You wouldn’t think that we were in a recession by their lives; they are doing well with the blessing of God. 

However, I have also noticed the converse.  I have seen people lose faith, and begin to lean unto their own understanding, and stop trusting in God to take care of them.  They begin to put themselves first (which is a natural thing to do); but as a result, they lose the supernatural blessing of God and their situation gets worse. 

If you are going through tough times, don’t bite the hand that feeds you.  Have you been faithful to give back to God a portion of what He has blessed you with?  Trust God:  He will take care of you.