How can I trust God when I am facing unemployment, foreclosure, or bankruptcy?

One may not be so greedy as to want to selfishly amass great riches, and yet may be a victim of worry and anxiety. This too is in reality opposition to the grace of God, yet even a believer often succumbs to it, for it is His disciples to whom the Lord spoke in verse 22. Parents must be concerned as to the needs of their family, and sometimes the future seems extremely bleak due to health problems, lack of employment, money shortage, lack of education etc., but the Lord encourages implicit faith rather than anxious worry. He cannot fail, though needs press heavily. The question is simply, Is the grace of God sufficient for the child of God? The Lord can be depended on to supply His saints with every necessity of life. For the life is more than the things that we think necessary to support it, and God is concerned for every aspect of life. Certainly we should work to support ourselves and our families (2 Thes.3:10), but worrying is not working.

It is an arresting word, "take no thought for your life," whether in regard to daily food or necessary clothing. Though necessary, these things must not be allowed to occupy time and thought as though they were vital matters. We have far more than this to live for. The birds are a pointed object lesson for us. They make no preparations for obtaining meals, yet God the Father has provided this necessity for them in such a way that they simply obtain their food as they need it. True it is that we could not exist in the same way, but faith may nevertheless count upon God to provide through giving employment, health, strength, or whatever is required to take care of these things. Faith in a living God is the vital matter here, faith that does not degenerate into anxiety. Man, who is capable of a conscious knowledge of, and communion with, his Creator, is of much more value to God than the birds.

First, “Be careful for nothing.” That does not mean being careless as to anything. We are expected to exercise sufficient, proper, and sensible foresight; but it means we are not to be unduly weighed down with care in the attempt to carry what God would carry for us. There are circumstances beyond our control. The way out is a difficulty we cannot overcome in our own strength. Then leave it with God. He will undertake if we leave all with Him in the sense of His interest and care. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you,” is written in another place.

Should not we as saints of God more definitely commit our ways to Him? The husband comes home. He has lost his employment. The situation is dark. Husband and wife are struck dumb. Happy if they put their affairs in God’s hands. It may be a few years go by. We call on the couple. They live in a different part of the country. They say, “What we thought was a crushing blow that tempted us to think that God was harsh, has turned out to our material, and spiritual blessing. We can see God’s hand in it all now in a wonderful way.”

But there came a day when the purse was flat and the cupboard bare. In the meal-barrel there was only left a handful of flour; and, like the widow of Zarephath, she went to get it to make a morsel of food to satisfy the craving of the hungry little ones, knowing not where the next would come from. As she bent over the barrel, scraping up the last of the flour, her heart for a moment gave way, and in a paroxysm of doubt the hot tears began to fall, and she felt as one utterly forsaken. Hearing her sobs, her little boy Robbie drew near to comfort. Plucking at her dress till he attracted her attention, he looked up into her face with wonder, and asked, in his quaint Scotch dialect, " Mither, what are ye greetin' (weeping) aboot? Doesna God hear ye the scrapin' o' the bottom o' the barrel, mither?" In a moment her failing faith reasserted itself. Ah, yes, God did hear. All else might be gone, but He remained, and His Word declared her every need should be supplied. And so it was; for help was provided from a most unexpected source, when the last of what she had was gone.

Things were very difficult. Dad was out of work for four years. Pauline was born towards the end of 1931. No Welfare State then and they were often hungry. Pauline, growing up during those years, would ask what was for dinner or tea and they would tell her that Jesus would send something. All would kneel down and ask the Lord for help and always He would supply the need. Sometimes before they rose from their knees there would be a knock on the door and someone would call bringing some eggs, or a loaf of bread, etc. Dad was continually going after work and being disappointed.

But would it be right to give, if we knew the person would make an ill use of it? Must we use that as an excuse if we have been victimised? How ready some people are to borrow? Surely there are counter-truths to guide us in all these questions. The good man spoken of in Ps. 112 will not only "show favour and lend," but "will guide his affairs with discretion." There is a guard for us. Suppose a thoroughly lazy man, who will not work though able, but lives by borrowing — 2 Thess. 3:10 affords direction for us. That supposes a man who refuses to work when he can. There may be an excellent brother out of work, and in need, and it is a privilege to help such. But Scripture is given us to guide in all cases. It is not a book of rules, though all scripture is the rule to the christian, and where saints wait on the Lord He knows how to make plain. There are cases for exhortation. The very word that says, "From him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away," says also, "Owe no man anything." And a christian in a right state of soul would not be happy to owe any man anything. A christian is not governed by the world's standard. If one, for instance, becomes bankrupt and gets a "legal" release from the payment of his debts in full, is he not still before the Lord, morally responsible, though legally acquitted?

So in helping God's saints who have got into actual debt through their folly, I believe the way is not to help them without sincere repentance on their part, and a resolve to walk in the ways of the word in regard to those things, which says, Owe no man anything, but to love one another. (Rom. 13:8.) If I help a saint, for instance, encouraging him thereby to set up in business without capital to carry it out; I am only encouraging him in a path of dishonour to the Lord, in which the Lord can by no means go with me. Under the government of God I believe the principle is true as set forth in Psalm 37:25: "I have been young and now am old, and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread." God has promised food and raiment to His children (Matt. 6:24-34), with the caution, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. The words, "Are ye not much better than the fowls? How much more shall he not clothe you, oh ye of little faith?" come in with unmistakable truth to faith wherever it is. Again, Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. See also Luke 12:22-31. Again, Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have, for He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, so that we can boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me. (Heb. 13:5-6.) All these sure promises ought to give confidence to the saints in the care of the Father, and prevent then from ever getting into debt, like other men. And indeed how can I give to others if I am in debt myself? I am then giving what is not my own, a terribly solemn thing when it is professedly done in the name of the Lord: I am taking what ought to be in another man's pocket, and giving it to the Lord. Is not this hypocrisy?

But lastly the question comes in, How much are we to give to the Lord? Now, dear reader, this question would never come in, if you understood that you and all yours are entirely bought for the Lord. Israel's men, women, and children, and cattle, were all for Jehovah. All had to come out of Egypt. Moses would not hear of the compromise, that the men were to come out of Egypt, and the wives, children, and cattle to be left behind. Not a jot or tittle was to be left in Egypt or to be lavished on Egyptians. All was for Jehovah, and for the support of their families and other Israelites through the wilderness, but for nothing more. And so in a much higher sense all that the Christian possesses is the Lord's. The Lord says as to the principle of it in Luke 12:33, Sell that ye have and give alms; provide yourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. On the day of Pentecost all was given up, and laid down at the apostles' feet, to be distributed equally amongst all. Truly this did not go on in the later times of the church. But the principle surely remains, and so in 1 Timothy 6 the rich are exhorted to do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life. And such principles as are shown in 2 Corinthians 9:8-11, and Ephesians 4:28, would surely be a check to saints who seek to get rich, as showing that the only purpose of labouring, and getting the blessings of God on it should be for the purpose of being an increased blessing to others, to abound in every good work, to have to give to him that needeth. As to usury, it was absolutely forbidden between Jewish brethren: to the stranger they might lend on interest, but not to their brethren. If they took a pledge it was to be restored before evening, lest their poor brother should cry to God and He would hear him for He was gracious. Dreadful is it to hear of brethren who boast of their high standing and privileges in a heavenly Christ, yet lowering themselves below the level of the righteous Jew in their walk, leading their poor brethren into sin, in the matter of buying farms or land, which they cannot pay for, and then exacting interest, notes, and all kinds of things afterwards, for the payment of it, thus becoming their oppressors. May the Lord lead His beloved saints to consider His principles in giving, and to abound individually in every good work!

"S. D." As to the question of a Christian's going to the parish for relief, we believe it is the privilege of every needy child of God to look, in artless faith, to his Father for all he wants. We certainly could not think of going to the parish, or to any human resource while we have the living God to look to and lean upon. The life of faith is either a divine reality or a mere sham. We believe it to be a reality. But then going to the parish, or going to man at all, is not faith. However, there is another side of the question. We consider it a reproach upon Christians to allow a brother or sister to go to the parish for relief, if they know of it. It is their high privilege to minister to their brother's need. "Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy poor brother." This was a precept under the Levitical economy, and surely it should speak to our hearts. If a Jew was told to open his hand wide to the poor, how much more ought we to do so? We believe there is ample provision in the Church of God to meet the need of all the members. What we want is more grace — more faith. Oh for real enlargement of heart! May we breathe more the atmosphere of the divine presence, and thus learn to find our true delight in ministering to every form of human need, and in making poor hearts glad.

When surrounded by material prosperity it is easy to talk of being without anxiety, but that talk is mere sanctimonious cant if we become immediately burdened with care when the easy days are compelled to give ground before the steady advance of grim and heartless adversity. And we do well to test ourselves and to inquire whether we are ready for the great trial; whether our resources are equal to the conflict, and whether God is able and willing to carry us through or not. If He cares for us, then He is enough for any and every day, if He does not we are in a worse plight than those who do not know Him.