Proverbs 11:4-7 Money won't save us!

Our money won’t save us - but it sure seems to help! Right?? With our economy still flagging, it seems I’m encountering more and more who have been without work for an extended period of time. Unemployment can be a marriage killer! I’ve been spending time with three different women whose husbands have been without work or only sporadically working for a long time. We’ve been discussing the negative impact of financial insecurity: a husband shrinking inside when he cannot provide; and a woman, who has been trying to bolster her husband’s confidence, becoming more resentful as time goes on. It’s rough!

It can be a real struggle to lay financial burdens down before the throne of God, to trust Him completely to take control. The reality is that He IS in control, whether or not we acknowledge it, so we may as well trust the One who loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Our money is NOT what will save us in the end.

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

    but righteousness delivers from death.

The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them,

    but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

    but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes;

    all he expected from his power comes to nothing. (Proverbs 11:4-7)

God’s Word tells us that our money is worthless when it comes down to the end. It cannot prolong our days, it cannot buy entrance into heaven, it cannot follow the hearse to the graveyard. Money is the means we use to purchase necessities. The money itself is a gift from God. And because we know God’s love for us endures forever, we can be assured that God will ALWAYS provide exactly what we need to keep going. So much easier said and believed when the bank account is full!

But if we are consumed by worry and fear about finances, we are not trusting God. And we are robbed of peace and joy. Our security is in God. HE is our Rock. HE is our strength! HE is our solid foundation and our refuge. He is our Provider and He is also our Provision. We need to believe Him when He tells us that the righteous will never be forsaken:

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. (Psalm 37:25)

If you are in the midst of financial ruin, keep your eyes on God. Look to Him to provide and to give you the faith to trust Him and the hope to wait expectantly for His provision. He will not let you waste this time of struggle. You will see Him as you never have before. Hang on, dear friends! God WILL provide!  

If you have a story of how God met your needs during a rocky time, please leave a comment to encourage all of us!