Word For Today

It’s a common belief that problems or difficulties come in groups of three. And yes, sometimes it can feel like we’re surrounded by a whirlwind of troubles. Health issues arise, financial struggles appear, misunderstandings with loved ones happen, all at once and without warning!

Instead of giving up and letting the weight of our problems crush us, let’s learn from the psalmist: cry out to the Lord in those difficult moments.

Reach down your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
from the hands of foreigners
- Psalm 144:7

Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
- Psalm 4:1

Whatever storm may surround you, hold on to God today and cry out to Him. Remember Job, who went through great tribulations yet never turned his back on God. He lost his possessions, his family, and his health. He didn’t understand what was happening to him, but he remained faithful and declared:

I know that my redeemerlives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
- Job 19:25–27

Trust that God will work on your behalf and that you will see His hand move in the midst of your difficulties. Cry out to Him and wait, He will not disappoint you.

Suggested reading:God, help me in this moment

The way we handle our possessions or earthly wealth can give us a clue about our spiritual condition.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
- Luke 16:10-12

Not having much money, or having an abundance of it, is no excuse for being dishonest or unfaithful in managing our finances. The way we handle what God has provided for us clearly reveals where our heart is and who our god truly is.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
- Luke 16:13

Serving God requires complete trust in Him, the assurance that what He provides (or chooses not to provide) is what is best for us. If scarcity or the loss of possessions causes us to rebel against God, then our faith was not truly in Him but in our money.

On the other hand, if the economic ups and downs we face draw us closer to God, and if we remain faithful to Him through them, we can rejoice because our heart is where it should be: firmly anchored in the Lord. Do not allow your heart to serve wealth. Do not make your life primarily about possessing more, earning more, or living more comfortably.

Receive with gratitude whatever God provides for you. Strive to do your best in your work and in managing your finances. But above all, keep your heart faithful to God, because He alone is worthy of your worship.

See also:

• The Parable of the Rich Fool in The Bible: Explanation
• The Parable on The Rich Man and Lazarus Explained