When reading Psalm 112 this morning for my devotions I thought of Dave’s post yesterday.
Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish! (Psalm 112:1-10, ESV)
Verses 7 and 8 just out at me in particular. The righteous do not have to be afraid of bad news. We don’t have to fear! We do not have to worry. Our heart can be firm. Why? Because our trust is in Jesus Christ, not the economy. Not the stock market, not our 401Ks. Our hearts can be steady even as we look at our adversaries (in this case, depreciating stock).
Even in the midst of a horrible economy – check out verse 5 – “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.” Also verse 9, “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor.” We are to be fair in our dealings. There is a temptation to look out for ourselves when the economy goes south, but not only are we to be fair and honest (that should be the mark of Christians anyway), but the righteous will take care of the poor.
My encouragement to you is to not be afraid. Do what God would expect of us in times like these. Deal fairly, have compassion, and remember that God is bigger than Wall Street!