THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Lord, have You seen the panic? The news repeatedly predicts the economy will soon tank and we’ll be in a recession, or worse, a depression. Be prepared, we’re warned. You could lose everything you’ve worked for all your lives. Kiss your 401(k) adios. Financial institutions we’ve depended on for security could collapse. As described in Joel 2:1–10, government safety nets won’t catch the locusts coming to devour the economic well-being for societies that have turned their backs on You.

So, Lord, what are people to do? For those who trust in man and man’s plan, do the above. Panic.

Okay, Lord. What should Christ followers do? Don’t panic. Instead, trust the promises given to the faithful believers when ancient Israel turned their backs on You and their country came to ruin.

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat, or worried about long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit—Jeremiah 17:7, 8 (NLT)

Your followers went through the same hardships as everyone else. The economic collapse affected everyone, yet You met the needs of those who trusted You. They may not have had wine and roses, steak and potatoes anymore, but Your people did not go without, demonstrating their faith was not in vain. And after the trials were over, You multiplied back to them more than the locusts destroyed, (Joel 2:25–27).

Lord, we won’t panic. May we be like the trees planted by the river and our roots are deep into Your water. We trust Your Word is still true in today’s hard times as it was then. Thank You, Lord, for never changing. Amen.