Do you want to hear a really cool God story? My last post (The Best of Times) talked about how we are witnessing stories everyday of these difficult times driving people closer and closer to God. Check this one out…

For two months, we had been working to raise $35,000 in pledges for a Matching Gifts program to support our work at WorkMatters. Five days before our self-imposed deadline, we had been blessed to raise $29,000. Only $6,000 to go.

I had a meeting that day with a close personal and corporate supporter of WorkMatters. For the first 30 minutes of our time together, he shared an extremely serious personal financial story with me that had taken place over the last three weeks as the market had plummeted. At an appropriate pause in our conversation, I literally started laughing as I told him that I had come to discuss financial support. We both had a hard laugh, but then he said, “well, go ahead.” I uncomfortably laid out our need for $6,000 to reach our Matching Gifts goal. Then, I swallowed hard and asked him if he could possible invest $5,000. I could hardly get the words out of my mouth after hearing his gut wrenching financial story.

After an awkward period of silence, he quietly said, “I think we can do that. Let me pray about it and talk with my wife.”

What! I could not have been more shocked. I asked him why he would do that after the story I had just heard from him. He said, “I have been praying, begging God over the past few weeks to save me from my own personal turmoil. And now, after he listened to those prayers, I am supposed to say no to a Kingdom building request that God is bringing me?” We prayed a mighty prayer together and he said he would call me on Tuesday. But the story gets better.

On Tuesday, no word from him. Wednesday, nothing. On Thursday, less than 24 hours before our Friday Matching Gifts announcement, I received an email from my friend. It had only two words on it…“Six thousand”.

Not only did he commit to the $5,000 pledge, but without my request and deep in his own personal turmoil, he went the extra mile to pledge $6,000, which allowed us to hit our goal!

During these difficult economic times, we need to hear these kinds of stories. Not because he gave money to WorkMatters. But because of this powerful testimony of faith and obedience from a leader whose own faith has been stretched to the limits. To keep his eyes focused on God, in spite of the firestorm he was/is living through.

May this story encourage you today…

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

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Every day is an adventure right now, isn’t it? The market rebounds from a five year low with a 10+% increase. More people lose their jobs. Controlling our psyche is a daily battle. What if I told you these were the best of times?

I am witnessing stories everyday of these difficult times driving people closer and closer to God. It’s not that we purposefully moved away from God. But after years of relative prosperity, the world sometimes has a way of crowding out the simple. Of slowly, almost unknowingly, blinding us from the very things that we were put on earth to do.

Is it possible that in our affluence, we spent more and more time enjoying the fruits of our labor? Maybe it was an upgraded home? Or that desired car? The pool that we always wanted? Or, how about four season tickets to every Razorback football and basketball game? Now, are those things bad? Are they wrong? Personally, I don’t think so.

But now, as most of us begin to rapidly prune our lifestyles, I am witnessing a very cool dynamic. As we prune, as we cut back the rich green growth that has developed around us, what do you think happens? We let in the light! We slowly begin to see the things that are most important. The things that we have slowly lost sight of as we prospered.

A simpler lifestyle emerges. An appreciation for our job materializes. Our marriage pulls together and our kids learn important lessons as we discuss the changes we need to make.

But most of all, we begin to see Jesus in a whole new light. We begin to see Him in our NEEDS instead of our WANTS. We decide to pick up the Bible and see what answers it can offer. We pray in ways we have never prayed. We move past wanting religion, to needing a relationship.

Are these the best of times? Obviously, most of us would say are you kidding?! But what if two years from now, you have developed a relationship with God you never thought possible? What if your marriage survived, even blossomed through this hardship. How about your kids having a whole new perspective on money and what it means to earn it. And, what if our work and the ensuing money generated from it, was appreciated as a gift from God?

It certainly doesn’t feel like the best of times, does it? But maybe, if we look hard enough, we will see His light breaking through all of our rich green growth, exposing a simpler, more fruitful life.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

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Do you want some powerful encouragement? You may or may not make the time to read the Comments that are occasionally posted on our Blog. This one was so good that I wanted to make sure you have a chance to read a slightly edited version of it. Margaret is my sister-in-law living in Cartersville, GA.  What great perspective on our economy and the Discipline of Simplicity! Read her comment below.

What you describe (in the “True Security” post) is a simple life. It is the life that most Americans do not buy into and as a result we see the present day turmoil. Many of us would like to achieve this discipline of simplicity, but unfortunately that way of life is considered taboo and is therefore not encouraged.

There are many Scripture verses that we can refer to regarding the discipline of simplicity. Ecclesiastes 7:30 says, “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.” Or Proverbs 11:28, “He who trusts in his riches will wither.” Luke 16:13 reads, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” And there are many others including…Matthew 6:16-22; Luke 12:33; Luke 12:16-21; Matthew 13:45-46; Luke 6:30; 1 Timothy 6:9; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:17-19. And my personal favorite is while Paul was in prison and he states that he has found contentment in both abasement and abounding (Philippians 4:12).

I was leading a Sunday School class recently and we were discussing simplicity. I asked the class if Jesus asked them to give up all of their worldly possessions like he asked his Disciples to do, would we be willing to do this. It was very difficult to answer that question, but we finally said that the only way we would give it up, was if it were taken away from us. Then, we all agreed, that after the initial shock of losing it all, we would probably feel a wonderful feeling of freedom and relief.

To quote Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline, “may God give you and me the courage, the wisdom, and the strength always to hold the kingdom of God as the number one priority of our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity.

Margaret Mathison

What great encouragement this is for “just such a time as this”!

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