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Rusty Miller
On Monday, October 27, the Stock Market dropped 554 points. By Tuesday morning when the clock radio went off, an analyst was advising, "Get out of debt! Get out of the stock market! Get out of real estate! Get as much liquid cash as you can, because it's going to be bad and it's going to be bad for a long time!" I hit the snooze button, and ten minutes later, another analyst was explaining that this was merely a "market correction," was nothing to worry about and certainly nothing to cause panic.
My first thought was that Harry Truman was right (he said, "If you put all the economists in the world end to end, they'd point in all directions"). For a fleeting moment, I considered what would happen if there truly was a crash, a new Depression. What would happen to me? To my family? To my friends?
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:19-21).
The words of the Saviour stung my heart as I considered how foolish it was to worry about, as if my life depended on it, a thing so uncertain as riches.
The fact is, the Stock Market could crash at any time; all it takes is for the right number of factors to fall into place. I have no power to control those factors, despite the effect they could have on me. In addition, my own personal finances could be subject to factors I cannot control (disease, unemployment, etc.).
Where I do have power is over my soul's eternal destiny. God has made me so that I can choose, and He has given me the ultimate choice: life or death (Jn. 5:24). This question, far more important than whether or not I have money, can be controlled by my response to God's word and His call.
The man who trusts in wealth is always concerned about how to protect it, insure it, make it grow. He cannot rest from this because of the uncertainty
of it all.
The man who has chosen God as his focus has not only joy, but peace as well. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7).
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