How to experience God’ s providence in times of economic uncertainty
CHRISTIAN LIVING
RIDING OUT THE STORM
I
f WE ARE LOOKING FOR EXPLICIT, step-by-step instructions from Scripture on how to deal with economic crisis, we will be disappointed. However, it doesn’ t mean that we cannot glean important principles from the Bible on dealing with hard times.
Let ' s take for example the prophet Elijah, who was fed by ravens and a widow during famine. How God chooses the most unlikely sources of sustenance to meet His servants’ needs is indeed mind boggling and unfathomable.
Divine providence comes to us in wondrous and diverse ways. We should not try to limit the workings of an infinite and omnipotent God.
Firstly, Elijah was told to go a brook, near the Jordan river, where ravens would feed him. For water, he merely needed to help himself from the brook.
When the brook dried up, the prophet was told to go to the village of Zarephath in the territory of his enemy, Jezebel. God was trying to tell Elijah that
How to experience God’ s providence in times of economic uncertainty
BY DR LIM POH ANN
He can protect him, even in the enemy’ s lair. We would have surmised that Elijah would be directed to a rich man’ s house for his provision. But God chose an unlikely candidate, a poor widow, to feed the prophet.
Those who serve God must put full confidence in Him in times of need. Elijah and the widow relied entirely on God for their sustenance.
Elijah was blessed when he obeyed God’ s instructions to go to the brook and, later, to Gentile territory. His needs were miraculously met through unclean birds and a poor widow.
Similarly, the widow benefitted by obeying Elijah’ s instruction to prepare a meal for him first, even before serving herself. The result was nothing short of a miracle— there was enough food for her and her son throughout the famine.
If we focus on obeying and serving God, not only will our own needs be met, we will bear fruit and bless others in times of famine. We will buck the trend during hard times( Matthew 6:33, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 1:1-3).
The moral of the story is that we must listen to our Master’ s instructions during hard times, which will surely befall us in these end times. But how do we hear from God? It is by abiding in His Word, dwelling in His presence and listening to what He says to us( John 10:27, John 14:26, John 15:7, Psalm 37:18-19).
If we do so, we will experience His blessing and provision, which may come from various sources and“ delivered” to us in unexpected ways— even through“ unclean birds”.
30 ASIAN BEACON 48 # 1 December 2016- January 2017