Reflections on God and Money: Sooner or Later (6)

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

I am not a fan of mountain retreats or hoarding large food supplies to prepare for the economic and other calamities that, sooner or later, we may experience. Having said that, it seems to me that much of the advice about how to prepare for those days are the sorts of things that people should be doing anyway.

Clearing debt and reducing our dependence on credit is not just to prepare for a time when monetary values may plunge but the amounts people owe remain constant. It is good sense at all times, even during periods of economic prosperity.

Keeping a modest supply of tinned food is always a good idea, especially when supermarkets are often picked clean by panic buying immediately adverse weather, power cuts or industrial disputes interrupt the supply chain. Having a basic medical kit is always useful. Your own electricity generator and battery powered radio is useful if you live in rural areas vulnerable to power failure or easily cut off by snow or flooding. It seems to me, however, that the sorts stockpiling that survivalists and preppers do cannot compare with trusting God.

The book of Habakkuk contains one of the most famous phrases in the Bible: ‘The just shall live by faith’ (2:4). It is quoted three times in the New Testament: Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 & Hebrews 10:38. In the English Standard Version it is translated, ‘the righteous shall live by his faith’. ‘The righteous’ are those who live rightly according to God’s ways; ‘his faith’ means God’s faith and is sometimes translated ‘God’s faithfulness’.

In Habakkuk, the prophet tells how he implored God to act to halt the rampant injustice in Israel. God responds by explains how a foreign army will invade Israel, as punishment. This appals Habakkuk. Then God tells how he will send a still greater force to punish the first army. All Habakkuk can see for decades ahead is calamity after terrible calamity!

Habakkuk’s response is to commit himself to living by God’s faithfulness. He illustrates just what this involves in the song, or psalm, which is now the third chapter of the book. The passage at the start of today’s Reflection is the final few lines. As we reflect on it, we should remember that it is only the righteous – those who live rightly according to God’s ways – who can with confidence count on God in this way.

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Handling money and dealing with debt can be complicated and neither the author nor anyone else involved in the production of these Reflections is responsible for any action you take, or fail to take, based on what is written here. You are invited to put a link on your website to these Reflections. You are welcome to copy these Reflections for personal study or for circulation to family and friends on a non-profit basis. For any other purpose, whether or not for profit, you will require written permission in advance from the author before copying, reproducing or transmitting extracts in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or using any information storage and retrieval system.

Sunday, 17 November 2013

Sooner or Later (6)