A Constant in 2009

With the economic downturn this past year: the layoffs, the plant and company closings, the crashing stock market, and people losing their homes, it looks very bleak for this next year. For those who are looking to Obama as a savior who will bring things back to the way it was, there will be an unwelcome wake-up call. Actually it may look well for a short time, but we have had economic policies that to a large extent have brought about the situation we are facing. I am not here to speak about economic policies, however. There is a lot of fear of the future. Most Americans who are facing uncertainties about paychecks and paying bills don’t know who to turn to except their government. At some point the government will not be able to help. We need to turn to Someone who cares, even during the darkest hours.
Many of those reading this may not know my testimony. I plan to put it in this section sometime soon. Briefly though, back in the mid-80s, I was having a great deal of difficulty finding work. We had three kids, were very poor, and were being assisted by fellow church members bringing groceries. It was a very dark period for my family and especially for me, since I was the breadwinner and was expected to provide and couldn’t. This lasted long enough for me to have serious doubts about whether God actually loved and cared for me. If God was testing me, I probably failed the test. You see, Job was put though the wringer by Satan, and though he questioned why God was allowing him to go through his trials, he never questioned whether God loved him. When you go through really dark times, and it seems as though there is no hope, nowhere to turn, and believe God has turned His back on you, that is when God may be refining you; as Job put it ‘I shall come forth as gold.’ Another biblical example is Joseph, who after being sold into slavery, was falsely condemned and spent several years in an Egyptian prison. But when he held up through it all, it was God’s plan to make him Prime Minister of Egypt and to save thousands from starvation. Job himself was restored to his place of wealth and given 10 children to replace the ones Satan had cruelly taken from him.
I have no promise that Grace Plastics will always be a profitable company. I gave it to God when it was first founded, and daily offer it as well as myself to God. Although I and the employees have worked hard to make it successful, the company is His. If He wants it to continue to succeed, I would be thrilled and attempt to give Him the glory. But I hope, if God were to allow Grace Plastics to wither, like so many other companies have, that I would not grow bitter and blame Him for my hardship. If I lose everything, there is one constant, one thing that I can count on – GOD LOVES ME! And in return, whether I am financially successful or whether I lose everything, my duty to God is to love Him in return.
Those who have been saved by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus can have this promise: God will go with you through the valley, no matter how dark or difficult or long it may be. God loves and cares for you, and though you may not know why He is allowing the trial, He is with you. And remember, it may not be God’s heavy hand, so don’t blame Him.
To those who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I pray that you will repent of your sin and come to Him as you are. He will accept you, love you, and walk with you through the rest of your life. It is the wisest and best thing you can possibly do.