Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Proverbs 30:7-9
“I’m a panicky person about money myself (which is a most shameful confession and a thing dead against Our Lord’s words) and poverty frightens me more than anything else except large spiders and the tops of cliffs: one is sometimes even tempted to say that if God wanted us to live like the lilies of the field He might have given us an organism more like theirs! But of course, He is right. And when you meet anyone who does live like the lilies, one sees that He is… One of the dangers of having a lot of money is that you may be quite satisfied with the kinds of happiness money can give and so fail to realize your need for God. If everything seems to come simply by signing checks, you may forget that you are at every moment totally dependent on God.”
C.S. Lewis in a letter to Mary Shelburne.
Are you a panicky person? You know that God will look after you like He does the lilies but even the thought of poverty sends you to fright.
Last weekend, I walked through a field with my dog. I was convinced I would see a rattlesnake. I don’t know why. It just seemed like ideal conditions for one.
I found myself feeling freaked out. I was not enjoying myself. I was so focused on my feet that was not really paying attention to the way I was going.
I was panicky, at least in that moment. Two things dispelled my fear. One, I got back on the safe path. And two, I focused my mind on what was true.
If you feel panicky about finances, get back on God’s path. To help you, register here for a free GTP on demand course based on my book, Faith and Finances.
If you don’t have time for the course, focus on Scriptures linked to the faithfulness of God to deliver those who trust in Him.
Life will still be filled with spiders, cliffs, and snakes. But those things don’t control people who have learned to depend on the faithfulness of God.
Today Gabriel and I travel from Sliač, Slovakia to Vranov, Czech Republic and will spend the evening with Milan and Hana Hluchý. Milan is like a Barnabas to me. Pray for a mutually encouraging overnight visit in their home.