A Time of CRISIS!

Some years ago I travelled to work as a candle maker in a Craft Unit in rural Wales, and part of the journey took me through a section of the Dyfnant Forest. In the Springtime, as I emerged from the forest road, the banks were a mass of wild flowers. Often I would be reminded that they would still be there long after I had gone from this world. They served as a salutary reminder that no matter what we aspire to in this world, what matters is the way that we live and the aspirations that we have regarding the next world.

We are living in what some may regard as perilous times, and certainly they are times when we are sailing through very stormy seas to say the least. During the Great Depression, which started in 1929 when the stock market crashed on Tuesday 29th October, known as 'Black Tuesday', and lasted until the end of the 1930's or even, in some places, to the early 1940's, there were many stories of the misery surrounding people's lives. Today we are in what is probably the most dangerous economic position since those days, and it is easy to see how RECESSION can turn into DEPRESSION if it is allowed to.

Just as people saw a run on the banks during the run-up to the Great Depression in 1929, such as the run on the Union Bank in New York seen in the picture above, so we can draw parallels with the problems today. Here in the UK recently there was a run on Northern Rock, and most recently we have seen a rescue takeover of the Halifax, which was the UK's largest mortgage lender. In the USA the unthinkable has already happened with the demise of Lehman Brothers, a banking institution that withstood the Great Depression yet has fallen now after 158 years of trading. Freddie Mac and Freddie Mae, the two biggest players in the US mortgage market have collapsed. The banking economy in both the US and the UK is currently being propped up by government intervention.

Faced with all of this turbulence there is little wonder that people are edgy and wondering what is going to happen next. The stormy seas caused by the turbulence are in danger of rising to flood alert levels. Many thousands of people have already lost their jobs and it is likely that many more thousands will too. Even if you are not one of them it's true to say that everyone will be affected in one way or another by the rising cost of living. The recent increases in power and fuel supplies are phenomenal, and they are far from over, with more increases being forecast. The cost of the weekly grocery is rising at an alarming rate. What can we do?

We are certainly in a time of trouble, and certainly in need of a place of refuge. We are reminded by the psalmist, David, that we have a refuge to turn to. In Psalm 9 he reminds us that the Lord reigns for ever, executing judgment from His throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. He goes on to advise us where to seek our help: The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

There is a great need for the world to REPENT of the wickedness that engulfs it, and it is only through REPENTANCE that we can truly return to God and claim the refuge that He offers us. Yes, the times that we are in are tough and it's easy to predict that they will become much tougher before they are through, but there is a way out, and that is by turning to God and claiming the victory won by Jesus Christ, repenting of our own sin and acknowledging Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah.

You can strengthen and build up your faith by daily reminding God in your prayer time of His promises. Join with the psalmist as he prays (Psalm 31):

1. O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don't let me be put to shame. Rescue me, for you always do what is right.
2 Bend down and listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be for me a great rock of safety, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
3 You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this peril.
4 Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone.
5 I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, LORD, for you are a faithful God.
6 I hate those who worship worthless idols. I trust in the LORD.
7 I am overcome with joy because of your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to my enemy but have set me in a safe place.
9 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. My sight is blurred because of my tears. My body and soul are withering away.
10 I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Misery* has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.

11 I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbours -- even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they turn the other way.
12 I have been ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot.
13 I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.
14 But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, "You are my God!"
15 My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favour shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, save me.
17 Don't let me be disgraced, O LORD, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.
18 May their lying lips be silenced-- those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.
19 Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for those who honor you. You have done so much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.
20 You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.
21 Praise the LORD, for he has shown me his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
22 In sudden fear I had cried out, "I have been cut off from the LORD!" But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.
23 Love the LORD, all you faithful ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant.
24 So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the LORD!

My prayer for each of you, dear readers, is that you will, by the grace of God, weather this storm and come out the other side strengthened by the trials that it may subject you to.