Monday, October 28, 2013
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We've all had our share of weathering recessionary economies, and sometimes it's hard to find a business that isn't hurting financially at times like that. But I have this friend, George; he's a funeral director. Dealing with him is quite an undertaking. He has an interesting approach to this whole recession thing and whenever the financial tide goes out, he just sort of cruises his way through it. Now, it's true that in a bad economy people might choose a no-frills casket over the deluxe model, but the fact is that George has a steady flow of business no matter what happens to the economy. He's not in construction for example when people might stop building houses. But people aren't going to stop dying. So George has business. He's pretty secure because he has a source that doesn't really depend on the economy. So do you.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Drought-Proof Security."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Jeremiah 17:7-8. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." That's a great passage; it's about a drought-proof tree. When the heat comes - no fear. When the year of drought comes - no worries. This is the person who knows his security is not in his environment, it's in his God.
The other trees that are described here have to be a little worrisome when there's a drought, because they're depending on the rainfall. When the rainfall stops, they start to die. But this particular tree that's described has its roots in the streambed. Its roots are in a more dependable supply.
When the rain can't supply its need, its roots can. What a promise for those of us who are living in difficult economic situations. The economic rain may be sparse. Maybe you're facing unemployment, maybe the value of your house has been a problem, it could be inflation, deflation, all kinds of unexpected expenses, or maybe the medical care is so expensive you hadn't planned on it. If you're depending on the finances of earth to keep you secure, you're going to be scared a lot of the time. But if your roots go deep into God's endless resources, you're pretty secure.
Where's your trust...really? Will you be battered by the same storms that hit everybody else? Sure you will. There's no financial rain on them; there probably won't be any financial rain on you. But your Heavenly Father never has a recession, never has a depression, and never gets laid-off. He may want to use the drought to make you think about where your roots really are, to strip you of all the material sources that you thought you could depend on so you can learn the real truth, the real joy, the real security of trusting only Him.
This verse is about the man who trusts in the Lord and whose confidence is in Him. How many times have we sung that hymn, "Great is Thy faithfulness. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."
Because you are rooted in your Father's riches, you have a unique privilege even in a time of hand-wringing and nail-biting all around us. You have no worries in a year of drought.