I came across an article that asks interesting questions about Christians facing economic challenges. Do Christians find themselves in the same despair as the rest of the world? Or can we use our faith to gain strength during this time of financial struggle? Katrina Howe wrote “The Credit Crunch” for UK-based Lifetimes Magazine. Even though the magazine caters to residents in Ireland and England, the concerns are much the same as the US when it comes to the economy.

Katrina writes that by knowing that ultimately God’s plan for our lives is unchanging, we can view the financial crisis in a new way. We can actually look at this economic struggle as a positive obstacle because it’s a challenge that pushes us to grow in our faith. It’s a time when we can focus on God’s promise to take care of us. In Joshua 23 of The Message, Joshua describes victory in God:

God has driven out superpower nations before you. And up to now, no one has been able to stand up to you. Think of it - one of you, single-handedly, putting a thousand on the run! Because God is God, your God. Because He fights for you, just as He promised you.

This verse illustrates the power that is within every believer to rise above any difficult circumstance and come out of it with victory. God’s unchanging character proves that if we immerse ourselves in the Word and practice Godly principles, we will feel secure and safe regardless of what’s going on in the world around us. Isn’t that the message of Psalm 1:1-3?:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.