“Glory to God… Lord you are so good to me” said Paula.
Chris looked at her sideways with an exasperated look in his face, “What? Girl you are broker than broke. How in the world can you even praise God? You have been out of a job for six months and God still hasn’t answered your prayers.”
Paula smiling calmly explained, “I have to praise HIM. It was my actions that led me here and HE has promised to see me through.”
Now that made me smile. I don’t have the same circumstances as Paula, but there are many days where I feel as if I am broker than broke. And it was all my fault!
A few weeks back I got so frustrated with my situation that I broke down and said, Lord, I need help! Not making wise choices with finances and uncaring about my future has led me to a current scary life of paycheck to paycheck.
Researching and studying the bible, two things happened:
- I realized that Jesus spoke quite a lot about money and the handling of money. The entire bible has quite a lot of information on money, debt management, tithing, giving, making money… you can find it all! Proverbs 22:7 though struck a chord in my heart:
“The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.”
Even with all of my debt, I was about to sign a loan. This verse woke me up! I want to only be a slave to Christ, and I knew I needed HIS help to guide me.
- I met Dave. A straight talking, funny, loving, and wise man of God! In my research, I found many people who provided guidance on how to get out of debt but none truly caught my eye. Until, I met Dave Ramsey. If you have never met him, you just have to. I have never met him personally, but he speaks to me every day via his podcasts. I knew that I was in a very bad place when I couldn’t even afford to enroll in his Financial Peace University! Embarrassing, but by listening to him, I am piecing together the steps I need to take and what I need to do. It is a slow process.
Final thoughts: Are you in debt? Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Are you unemployed? Whatever, your reason, call out to God. HE will hear you.
Prayer: Lord, creator of all things, glory be to your powerful name. Your word declares that you will meet all of our needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Forgive us for our lack of trust. Forgive us for our lack of obedience in following the wisdom provided in your Word. Father, I beg you to help those who are in bondage to the lender. Meet the needs of those who have no clue where the money will come from. For those that are waiting for your promises to come through, Lord may you grant them strength in the waiting. We seek your wisdom in our finances and money management that all of it will be to your glory. In Jesus name. Amen
May God’s glory, mercy and peace be with you.