The Scarcity Outbreak
Share
Yep. The economy is bad …again. Inflation …ridiculous. The cost of living …quite frankly unfair. Taxes …let’s not spark that debate here. Life is getting predominately more expensive. Moment by moment our budgets must adjust as quickly as the gas station signs that advertise the cost per gallon on every corner of our towns change. It’s easy to let fear take a strong root in seasons like these. Where does our faith kick in? Drowning in the prevalence of the prosperity gospel mixed with the acute fear of not having enough, we run the risk of falling out of balance with what God says He will do in our lives.
The apostle Paul learned how to put full trust in who God is, Provider. “Abundance’ (prosperity) and ‘need’ (scarcity) are very different circumstances,” Jon Bloom wrote in an article for desiringgod.com titled, “Lord, All I Have Is Yours,” “They both require faith in order to handle them in ways that glorify God. But they demand the exercising of different sets of faith muscles. Scarcity requires faith muscles for trusting God in a place of needy desperation. Prosperity requires faith muscles for trusting God in a place of bountiful material security.” We can learn from Paul’s letters of instruction and encouragement to the churches that sprung up in the early days of Christianity. God can be trusted to provide for us. But much more, we can still pray expectantly for miraculous healing and life change! Letting go of the timeline of our lives is key to embracing peace and resting in God’s very capable hands. Paul wrote:
Gratefulness allows us to fight the temptation to want more than God says we need to live a full life. The perspective we gain in following Christ Jesus allows us to be at peace with our current circumstances, no matter how they stack up to what’s going on in the world around us.
The painful reality of our daily lives is the pain we experience in them. My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 13. The unfairness washed over her in waves of denial as life as she knew it flipped upside down. Gratefulness for modern medicine and the provision to afford the best technology made it easier, but it didn’t return her life back to the old normal, as she would have preferred. Trusting God, in real-time, is hard. When life doesn’t go our way, is unfair, and at times unbearable …trusting God seems like the opposite of greeting card sentiments. It’s army crawling to Him each day, trusting His love for us is the same as it was before the bad things happened. His love is the same, in fact, as it was before we chose to acknowledge Him, let alone develop our trust muscles.
A shepherd knows each sheep, and every one of his animals knows the sound of His voice. Without the shepherd, the sheep panic. Left alone, sheep will find a way to die. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd because He knows we are sharply akin to sheep. So, He assures us, He will never leave us alone. We can listen for His voice, seek Him, and find Him. He will never leave us or abandon us. He died so we can live to the fullest. Scarcity is rooted in fear. But Jesus told us not to be afraid. “See how the Lord cares for the birds,” He reminded, “how much more does Your Father in heaven care for you?”
Trust in the Lord. Say goodbye to the scarcity outbreak and shove the prosperity gospel where the sun doesn’t shine. God’s relationship with us is organic and constantly growing, as we walk with our Savior daily until we hug Him at home in heaven for eternity. He cares for us immensely. Always, no matter what. Believe Him for the big things He’s capable of bringing to fruition! Seek to see life through the perspective of the One who will never fail us ….and has the whole world in His good and loving hands. That includes you.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Umesh Negi
