Today’s passage: “…Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands… Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:1,6-7
Watching old TV shows like Andy Griffith and Little House on the Prairie fill me with nostalgia and make me desire a simpler, deeper and purer way of life. It’s easy to think that “those were the days” when life was easy and everyone was kind, and indeed our parents and grandparents may agree, yet every generation has experienced sin and troubles.
Long, long ago, the world was filled with evil people who focused on nothing but sin all day long so God assigned Noah the task of preaching to them of the coming doom if they did not repent. Noah faithfully preached to the people for 120 years with no converts! Later, Lot and his daughters were saved from the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah before every resident was killed, including Lot’s wife who was given an opportunity to live, because of the constant presence of sin in their lives. In the days of Elisha, the Samaritans were struck by a long-lasting famine because of an attacking army but instead of trusting in the Lord, some of the citizens committed terrible sins against humanity, including against their own children, in order to survive (II Kings 6).
The sins of pride, lust and selfishness do not belong to our modern world alone; there have always been Hitlers and Husseins seeking complete power with no compassion for those deemed to be threats. The king of Egypt wanted every newborn Hebrew son to be killed by the Hebrew midwives or the people of Egypt (Exodus 1:15-22) and King Herod sought to prevent Jesus from becoming King of the Jews by ordering the death of all of the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger (Matthew 2:16).
Considering the fact that sin first reared its ugly head with the original couple created by God, Adam and Eve, and was manifested in their son, Cain, it is then unfair for me to assume that it was easier to live a righteous life by the elder generations. They faced the same struggles that we do today, with no less need for faith and trust in God. My journey in this life is not more difficult than theirs even if the specific causes of sin have changed. In the words of Solomon, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
During the 1930s, much faith was needed as industries crashed, mining and farming families were severely malnourished and tuberculosis was rampant in the population. According to a report by the BBC News, thirty-four million people belonged to families with no regular full-time wage earner in 1932. Depression and suicide statistics were high because some did not know how to cope with the loss of wages and the cruel reality that their children were starving.
As we consider the current problems of the national economy such as drops in the stock market and the rise of unemployment rates as companies go out of business, it is important for us to renew our faith through the study of Biblical examples of faithful followers of God in Hebrews 11 and our elder brothers and sisters who survived the Great Depression with their commitment to the Lord intact. Though specific circumstances may differ, the solution at the root of the problem is common to all: to develop an unfailing trust in God that He will take care of us no matter what happens so long as we obey Him.
Furthermore, we are given the assurance that “…blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands… Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:1,6-7 We are free from the concerns with which the world is consumed because God is our refuge. We do not have to worry ourselves sick over the Dow Jones industrial average or whether we will lose our jobs. As long as we have true faith in God, we know that He will take care of us and that His power is greater than any manmade economical system. No matter what happens in the world, there are always brothers and sisters willing to help if we are united together in the Lord. God has always managed to save a remnant for use in His kingdom whether through a world flood, the confusion of languages or the near extinction of His people.
I pray that your faith as well as mine will be stable though all else in the world should crumble and fall. God and His Kingdom are unshakable even if the mountains should fall into the sea or the earth should burn as in the Day of Judgment. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (and that kingdom, the church, has come!), “let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
