The Lordship of Jesus in a Bad Economy
When the Great Recession of 2008 hit, I was newly married and had just accepted a job with a large accounting firm. When my start date came around, I was genuinely concerned that my job offer would be rescinded as business and economic activity slowed.
It was like being in a boat during a storm. I had a general sense of where I wanted to go, but the waves were coming from directions I could not anticipate, and it felt like one could knock me over at any time. I had no control over the broader economy and very little influence over the stability of my own job. It was an anxious time.
As someone who had spent years preparing to start my career and feeling as though I was on the cusp of building a stable and solid foundation for my wife and future family, it made me very uncertain and insecure. What would I do if I did not have my career to rely on?
Over the next few years, the economy did recover, and while that brought some reprieve from the anxiety and worry I had felt at the onset of the recession, in the midst of COVID, I can see that the peace and comfort I was feeling at the time was only temporary.
I feel now the worry for my family and friends sneaking back up to the forefront of my mind. What if things get tough at work? What if someone I know gets really sick?
Aside from my own family, I’m concerned about the state of the economy and the fallout from the world effectively shutting down and staying home. Locally, I think about the strain on small businesses, the impact on employment and what the long-term fallout of all of this could be. I think about friends who had been laid off or forced to take reduced hours. And as a person responsible for the financial well being of a large organization, I think about our employees, members of our community, and what we can do to mitigate the challenges the pandemic has presented.
I realized I feel safe when there is economic stability and growth.
At the onset of the pandemic, the unknowns and constantly evolving news started to consume me – I remember talking to a colleague and good friend at the end of March and shared that my daily prayer routine had been thrown off. That discussion made me realize that I needed to take a step back and stop looking at what was going on in the world and instead look at what was going on inside me.
I found that I had placed a lot of security in the world and its institutions and when those things began to appear less stable, so too did my own confidence - despair and loss of hope were two themes that began to emerge.
I was faced with either trusting the stability of the world or the security of the Gospel. On some level, I believed that if the economy and our country’s political situation were predictable, that everything would be ok. While the pandemic has brought these feelings to light, they have been there for some time; the current situation has only highlighted them and helped me realize that this confidence is misplaced.
This doesn’t mean the downfall of an economy is not hard. The challenges of losing a job or facing financial hardship are real and painful and trusting the Gospel does not instantly erase them. I see the impact on some of my friends and neighbours who have lost paid hours or jobs altogether, and the pain is real. But those things are not in my control. Trusting the security of the Gospel means that it does not waiver. It does not change depending on the season or people’s behaviour but guarantees God wants good for each of us.
Holding tight to God during the pain and trusting in His goodness and the hope in the Kingdom, creates solid ground to bring you through tough times—something I’m personally experiencing right now.
After spending time reflecting on the state of things, I kept coming back to the same conclusion:
We know how the Big Story ends; and therefore, we can take comfort and have confidence in Jesus’ lordship over our lives.
In other words, because we know Jesus has already won the battle against sin and death, when we trust fully in Jesus and submit control over our own lives to Him, we can be confident in the ultimate outcome—even when it feels like it’s slipping out of control.
Anchoring myself to a healthy economy, financial wellbeing, political harmony, physical health, or even close relationships, can only bring temporary peace at best. At worst, when these things fail or let us down, it can feel like clinging to a life raft in a hurricane.
Just like the disciples in the Gospel, storms such as the one we are currently in can make it feel as though the wind and the waves will overcome us, and it is scary. But just like the story, Jesus is bigger than the waves.
Seeking security and peace in temporary things can only bring temporary security and peace, but the more I experience the ups and downs, the more I realize a relationship with Jesus is the only anchor that will not fail. His promises stand firm when nothing else does. When I look around and see the economy rising and falling, I know that drawing back to Him will bring me stable ground and peace to face the storm.
These are a few practices I use to bring me back to relationship when I am feeling “lost at sea.”
Remembering the permanence of the Kingdom compared to the temporary (though real) pain of our current experience
Praying regularly, rooted in the trust that Jesus has already won the ultimate victory; remembering that He is in the boat with us
Asking the Father to remind me of the ways He has brought me through other storms in my life
Today, amid so much uncertainty and fear, and knowing that a bad economy is only one of many challenges we are up against, it is hard to remember that when Jesus woke up, He simply said, “Be still”, and the storm was gone.
His dominion extends far beyond borders and financial markets and He is here with us now, offering hope and reminding us to have faith that no matter what happens now, the pain and suffering is temporary, while the joy of the Kingdom lasts an eternity.
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