Torch, Spring/Summer 2009

26 TORCH | Spring–Summer 2009 without success. Seeing their frustration, Jesus instructed the men to try one more time. When they did, “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” Peter responds by saying, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man,” indicating that he recognized his rightful place before the Lord. God’s abundant blessing was a learning and growing experience for Peter. On another occasion, God chose adversity and shame in Peter’s life to get his attention. The disciple came up short when he heard the rooster crow and realized he had denied his Lord three times. There is an upside to God’s use of adversity: it builds character. As the book of James indicates, believers should “consider it pure joy” when they face tribulation, for these trials produce perseverance (James 1:2–4). Paul agrees, saying, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us” (Rom. 5:3–5). Could it be that God is using the economic recession to strengthen us? Perhaps He wants to move us beyond the notion that He is only interested in making us healthy, wealthy, and wise. The Lord is interested in our character, our spiritual growth, our holiness. He wants us to become more like Christ. In addition to character building, He is helping us get our priorities straight, realign our value system, and reassess what is really important to us. Just as God led the Israelites through the wilderness, He is leading us through these difficult financial times, teaching us that we can depend on Him: “And you shall remember all the ways which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these 40 years, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deut. 8:2). Could the recession really be a gift of God? Could He have orchestrated the economic downturn to reveal what is truly valuable in life and to help us understand where we are in our spiritual journeys? He knows if we have begun to put more stock in our material nest egg than in Him. What better way to remind us that He gives us the power to make and keep wealth! God wants to show us how much He loves us by allowing us to think clearly about this difficult time, to have a mind-meld with Scripture. He wants us to always remember that “though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken” (Isaiah 54:10). We cannot put our faith in a teetering economy but rather in God. After all, His love for us is rock solid. Pleasing God in a Recession In response to these difficult financial times, what are some concrete steps we can take to please Him? First, we must reaffirm God’s sovereign control and follow His commands: “In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider — God has made the one as well as the other” (Ecc. 7:14). This recession is not a random event outside of His providential control. Rather, it ARTHUR KWIATKOWSKI / ISTOCKPHOTO