Financial Hardships, Trust in God, Fear

How can we hold on in a world that’s falling apart, even when financial or physical hardships hit us hard?

Pandemics and Economics

Who would have thought just a few months ago that a deadly pandemic would sweep the globe, ruining or closing thousands of businesses, forcing millions to the unemployment lines, and have families scrambling to make it through the month. Boy, hasn’t the world changed in the last few months…and things may never be the same. Some of the largest entities (sports, entertainment, etc.) and companies have been hit the hardest, and the things we took for granted just a few months ago, are now not as easy to access or we have no access at all. The ripple effect this pandemic has created has hit every nation in the world; some harder than others, and Covid-19 hasn’t even peaked yet! The sobering thing is, this situation is still fluid so long-term planning just about becomes impossible. No one really knows where this pandemic will end…if it does end! So what are believers supposed to do when things really get difficult and it hits close to home? When we end up with too much month left and too little money, we can quickly get into serious financial hardships. And this pandemic’s effect does not discriminate. Some of the biggest companies have suffered just as bad as some of the lowest paid employees have.

A Lack of Trust

I know you’ve heard this verse which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path” (Prov 3:5-6), but do we do that? God does not want us to trust in ourselves. The Pharisees trusted in their own righteousness, which was actually self-righteousness, so they did not trust in God for their salvation (Luke 18:9) but in their own works. That’s dangerous ground to stand on. We cannot stand on our own merit. It must be on the merit of the perfect Lamb of God. That’s the only way we can be seen as righteous before God (2 Cor 5:21). But trusting in God does not only include our salvation…it includes are destination….our entrance into the kingdom; our trust in God includes every facet of our lives, and that includes our finances. He knows exactly what the situation is, and if it looks dire right now, remember, He holds the future. He won’t forsake you when you really need Him the most. We must take God at His Word and He tells us to “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5). The author of Hebrews quotes an Old Testament Psalm (118:6), writing, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me” (Heb 13:6). Claim this promise my friend. God cannot lie, so this is true for you and it’s true for me, even in an economic depression.

Fear versus Trust

Maybe you can look at fear this way; fear is a lack of trust. If we trust something or someone, we’re reassured that things will go well, but if we fear something or someone, its means we’re not trusting it and not trusting God too. I’m not sure you can be really fearful about something and say you trust God. That is, I don’t see how we can fear our financial state and still say we trust God. I’m not accusing anyone, but rather, I admit to this sin. I know God’s got this, but yet I sometimes lay awake at night, thinking, “How am I going to get through this?” But then I realized, I shouldn’t be saying, “I don’t know what I’m going to do now?” but rather, “God, I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I trust you and praise you in the storm.” With this, God is very much pleased. I just wished I was better at it, so I admit it’s hard to trust God at times.

Building Trust

How can we build up our trust in God? We can remember the former things He’s done in the past. Many people have prayer journals they can look back to and see how God has been so faithful in answering prayers in the past. This means, He’ll be faithful in the future. If our faith is in our pocket book, and we depend on our bank balance to give us peace of mind, then we’ve never read, or forgotten about the truth that “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf” (Prov 11:28). To build your trust in God, read His Word, which is truth. Solomon said, “Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord” (Prov 16:20). I don’t trust myself with the future for one second, because “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool” (Prov 28:26a), and I don’t want to prove to be a fool. I bet you don’t either.

Conclusion

To have strong faith, we can read accounts in the Bible where God did the impossible. I know we must all “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught” (Titus 1:9a). I will claim God’s promises to be faithful to His children, and “again, “I will put my trust in him” (Heb 2:13a), day after day. In my heart I know that I can trust God with everything, even when “everything” seems to be falling apart, so “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). What about you? Do you trust in God? If you’ve never trusted in God, you will be judged after death (Heb 9:27) or at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:12-15), so make today your day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2), and put your trust in Christ, because “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Rom 10:11).

Here is some related reading for you: 6 Ways to Praise God During Hard Times

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Fear, Finances, Financial Hardships, Trust in God