The Lord is Our Judge

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, he LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. Isa 33:22

The world is on the verge of worldwide panic. Economic recession and political tension consumes the headlines. Decision makers vacillate because the problems seem so complex and overwhelming. The world has dug itself a financial hole through excessive spending and the accumulation of massive debt. Those who loaned the money to fuel the spending spree and grew wealthy on the interest, are now finding it difficult to be paid back what was borrowed from them. We face uncertain and potentially dangerous times ahead.

As a society, we are like children who have run away from home and found that the world can be cold and dark outside of the confines of the warmth and security of our parents home. We are like sheep who have wandered away from the protection of the shepherd and are standing in the midst of wolves. We have chosen to ignore what our Creator has told us is best and have wandered away from his covering.

The problems we have today are of our own doing. God is not punishing us because he is mad; rather we are suffering from what He warned about. He loves us and wants us to return home. How many times did we read his word and say, "God really didn't mean that, I think we can still do this and be okay." We rationalized his word saying, "the Bible cannot be taken literally, it must evolve with the times. After all, it was written by humans, how could they know what God was thinking?" Or worse many have chosen to completely ignore Him saying, "The Bible is just a collection of fairy tales, that are for weak-minded people, who needs it."

The Holy Spirit through his servant Moses wrote, "The LORD will vindicate his people and relent concerning his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. " Deut 32:36 Although this was written specifically for the Jews, it certainly applies to the world situation today. "He (God)will say: 'Now where are their gods (money, credit cards, material things) the rock they took refuge in,'" Deut 32:37

Many people say that God is mean, that he brings down calamity on the world. The fact is we serve a good God, one like a good parent wants the best for his children, who loves them and disciplines them when they are doing something they shouldn't. We cannot run our lives without boundaries. The boundaries established by God. When we look at the Bible as a source of things that are written by a cruel God who doesn't want us to have fun, we miss the point. Like a good parent, God does not want us to get hurt. He doesn't want us to suffer economic hardship, so he wrote through Solomon, "the borrower is the slave to the lender." Prov 22:7 No, God wants his children to enjoy life and because he is wiser that us, he has established the best possible set of boundaries to maximize our freedom and safety.

We are in this current situation for only one reason. We have chosen to ignore God's advice and now we must let the mess we have caused unravel itself. Many will lose everything they have accumulated and many will find themselves with no job or home. People will lash out against each other and sadly some may be murdered or assaulted. Some may even choose to commit suicide and others imprisoned. None of it is a surprise to God and none of it was caused by Him! The echoes of what he warned the Jews in the desert are ringing loudly today. History repeats itself.

My prayer. Father thank you that you want the best for your children. Thank you that you would not let us stray too far from home and that as a good shepherd you would gently nudge us back. I pray for an awakening in your people that we may see the error of our decisions and repent from our misdirection and begin the journey back to You. I pray for financial wisdom and blessings in the days ahead and I thank you that you will have compassion on your servants. In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!