MUSTARD SEED THOUGHTS #14

It has been a year since the economic crisis hit the entire world. Recently, CNN carried a special report about the status and the recovery process of this crisis. It seems like yesterday that it all happened. Thousands of companies and employees were affected. It was supposed to be the world’s next major economic depression. Everyone was concerned if livelihoods would be destroyed. What would become of us if there was a total breakdown of the world’s economy?

Last week some major calamities hit us. Tsunamis, typhoons and intensified earthquakes hit the Pacific Rim one after another. It was like wave after wave of onslaught. Flooding was rampant, homes and communities were inundated by flood waters. Lives were lost when buildings collapsed under the effects of these earthquakes. What would become of us if there was a continuous impact of natural disasters?

Every day we also face challenges: emotional, physical, economical, spiritual etc. How do we handle these and see things from God’s perspective? Can we stay afloat at times like these when wave after wave hit us like the tsunami? Paul wrote to the Philippi church and encouraged them to be over-comers during turbulent times. He offered some spiritual insights as to how they could do that. First of all, he reminded the believers to remain steadfast. (Phil 4:1) …stand fast in the Lord. His advice was directed to the collective fellowship of believers. In other words: the family of God. He called them his fellow workers (v3) He used the phrase… ‘be of the same mind’. (v2) They were to be united and to encourage one another during challenging times. We need the family of God: the church. We are not called to be Lone Rangers or live like islands- standing alone by ourselves. We need one another. Have you noticed how many times in his epistles that Paul exhorted the church to live as a family and to be united?

Secondly, he urged them to rejoice (v4) Rejoicing when times are difficult helps us to look up and not look down. The perspective changes when we look at God and not at our circumstances alone. We may see gloom and doom but we never know what lies ahead. Rejoicing helps us become positive and trust totally in God even though we do not understand what is going on. Paul reinforced by saying… ‘the Lord is at hand’ (v5) The Lord is in this! We rejoice because we know He is.

Thirdly, he told the believers to rest in God (v6)…be anxious for nothing. Pray and give thanks. Resting in God shows our confidence in Him. We know that the world has not spun out of control. We wake up daily to the dawn of the day and we are assured that in the next 12 hours, the night falls. If He has kept the world in order, He will surely keep our lives (and livelihood) that way too. We are not living in an ‘out of control’ situation. Like the song says… “ He has the whole world in His hands.” Believe it.

Finally, the believers needed to receive the peace of God (v7) That is the staying power: peace. When we have this peace, we can think clearer, work easier, plan better, continue stronger, live wiser etc …as we face our circumstances. When we panic or become anxious, we lose our focus and the presence of mind to solve problems. Come what may, we can face it when we have God with us. How do we maintain this peace instead of panic? “ Finally, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report..if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things! “ (4:8) Reside (dwell, continue, abide…) in these things, they will work for you!