The Positive Side of Recession

One of the strange things I keep hearing as I've been interviewing Christian leaders and authors in recent months is how much more open people are to hearing the gospel and the Word of God since the economic recession started. Many of them are saying they are seeing more people respond to their messages, more people interested in their faith, and more people learning to rely on God.

Of course, in many ways this isn't strange. Anyone who has been in a crisis and seen God pull them through can testify to how powerful it was for their faith and their life. It's one thing to put your faith in God when things are going well. It's entirely different to do it when things are really tough. But those are the times when God works most powerfully.

When you can literally see God provide for you or give you comfort and aid in a really tough time, the power of Christ is never more evident. This is why Christianity is spreading so quickly and powerfully in poor or oppressed portions of the world right now. You will rely on God when you have no one else to turn to.

Since the time I was a kid, it seems like one of modern-day America's biggest hurdles in turning to God has been our prosperity. We don't need God to provide for us because we have money. We don't constantly turn to him in prayer because we have so many other things to do. But when times get tough, that's when the important things surface.

I've experienced that in my own life in recent months. It's amazing to see how God has provided for my wife and me over the time we've been married. It seems that every time we hit a major hurdle, whether it's financial or otherwise, He is there to provide for us (even if it's usually at the last second). If you are going through a rough time, know that God is in control and turn to Him.