I’ve been a single mother for nearly a year now, and I’ve never had to cling onto God so tightly in my life. After being a stay-at-home mom for twelve years, and married for 25, I’m now on the grandest adventure I’ve ever known.
Part of me likes the idea that it’s just me and Him and the kids, facing the world together. And most of the time, I’m OK with this arrangement, even confident, knowing the Lord is with me. But there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night, and a panic washes over me, and I think, “What am I doing?” It’s in those times that I feel very much like I’m walking across the water toward Jesus, and He’s a great distance away. I absolutely understand how Peter began to sink when he walked across the water toward Jesus, because when he realized what he was doing–walking on water with only faith to hold him up–the natural reaction is to panic.
I’m getting better at it, though. When we first moved to our new house nearly a year ago, the times I woke up frightened in the middle of the night were frequent. Now, not so much…except when I read certain things.
I subscribe to a couple of financial advisor newsletters. They come in the form of emails, and I am barraged with them daily. As you can imagine, they foretell scary stuff coming our way as our nation tries to avoid a default, our dollar continues to decline in value, and Europe is working hard to keep its economy from imploding–an event that would affect the entire world.
I made the mistake of reading one advisor’s forebodings before I went to sleep last night. When I woke up this morning, I felt a mild worry hovering in the back of my mind. But then I sat down and opened my Bible to Isaiah, knowing that without fail, the lovely words of Isaiah would encourage me. And here’s what my eyes fell upon:
And He shall be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)
God is the stability of our times. If the earth quakes, the floods rise, or the world’s economy crashes like a meteor, it doesn’t matter. Our feet are not planted on planet earth, but on the rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our stability. Look what it says further on in Isaiah 33:
He who walks righteously, and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects unjust gain,
And shakes his hands so they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
He will dwell on the heights;
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him;
His water will be sure. (Isaiah 33:15-16)
When we fear God, and do our best to live righteously, we can know with absolute certainty that we will be provided for. We will not go hungry or thirsty. In fact, our fear of the Lord is our treasure. He is a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. He will give us what we need when we need it, and guide us through perilous times.
So as the world’s economy gets shakier and shakier, and people watch their wealth crumbling before their eyes, we can know that our fear of the Lord is our treasure. He is a wealth of salvation. He alone can save us.
