Jeff Adams

This morning we discussed how God uses crisis in our lives to develop and mature us. As we talked about the various types of crises that abound, I mentioned that one crisis that has the attention of all us is the current economic crisis that grips our nation and spills out into the rest of the world.

Here was one of the take-away points: when we face crisis, we must not be motivated by fear but by faith. 1John 4:18 explains the spiritual dynamic involved. Fear and love do not mix. John tells us that people who fear are those who have not yet matured in God’s love. He also points out that fear exacts a heavy price. I’ve never thought of billionaire Warren Buffett as an person of faith, but his attitude expressed this past week in the face of the current financial crisis is a great example of how even people who are not motivated by faith still understand the problem with being carried away by mass hysteria. Buffett said that a single principle dictates his buying: Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful.

The other day I was reflecting on the panic some people experience as they feed on the media’s frenzied fear reports on the Wall Street roller coaster, the credit industry and all the rest. The government has passed an incomprehensible 700 billion dollar “bailout bill.” Reading one of the Psalms, I reflected on the time when I realized my own spiritual bankruptcy and gladly laid hold of God’s Heavenly bailout bill. Here’s what I was reading and I recommend you give a few moments meditation.

Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:17-19

What helps me keep my balance in a financial crisis like this it to spend more time meditating on God’s comforts. That delights my soul much more than mindlessly following the reports in the media.