“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.” Phillipians 4:6-7
Yesterday afternoon at around 3:00 the Dow Jones Index dropped nearly 1,000 points and the financial world was sent into a tailspin. Many started scrambling to look after their stocks, their 401Ks and their savings account. Pandemonium abounded on Wall Street and some parts of Main Street. I say some parts because the great majority of us didn’t pay this news any mind. I can say that because when the news came across my desk, I waved it off. I just didn’t feel like feeding the media monster at the moment and I didn’t. A few hours later the Dow experienced a slight recovery and a few hours after that we would find out that the drop was because of a technical glitch (or human error) and not necessarily because the drop was warranted–at least this was the understanding I got from CNBC. This morning it was still the talk of the newsroom on every channel, so I decided to turn on Good Morning America instead. Unfortunately I didn’t escape it, but I did hear something that confirmed my lack of worries about the situation. GMA financial contributor Mellody Hobson told viewers that they should not worry about yesterday’s hiccup, but that they should instead focus on the long-term growth of their investments. What stuck out to me most is the fact the she said we should focus on long-term investments, which reminded me of how very temporary crisis is.
Things like yesterday’s Dow plummet comes to pass. It reminded me that we can’t get frantic and start running around like chickens with our heads cut off every time a crisis takes place. We just have to take a deep breath and evaluate the situation for what it’s really worth. We have to focus on the long-term and not the short-term blips. To that end, I wanted to offer a prayer in these times where we are tempted to be anxiety prone.
Heavenly Father,
We thank you that according to your word things come to pass. They come into our lives to pass through, not to stay. And one of those things which has come to pass is the state of our economy. Yesterday we were struck with a heavy blow when news broke that the Dow plummeted nearly 1,000 points but then that passed and it is passing over us now. In the midst of news that seems crippling to us, help us to not be anxious for these short and momentary afflictions, but let us instead always make our requests to you. Let us remember that we make these requests only after we have given you thanks for all you have done for us. We are thankful that we–some of us–even have enough money to worry about the market crashing when there are people who only have the money in their pockets. We pray that we would not be so caught up in the growing of that wealth that we forgot about the needs of the least of these that are right in front of us. You told us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on 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 and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) Let our hearts be fully found desiring eternal treasures in heaven and not fretting over these very temporary treasures on earth. For as your word says, “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) Surely God you want us to prosper and be in good health, so help us to consider that prosperity beyond the financial aspect of it and not endanger our health by worrying so much about it. You, God, are Jehovah Jireh, our provider. We put no weight in rollercoaster that is Wall Street, but we put all of our weight and our burden on you for you said you could bear it. As you are the God of all creation, so also continue to be the God of all provision. Give us our every need in this day and beyond and help us to always remember to be not anxious for anything, but in everything through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto you so that your peace may come upon us.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Check out other Beliefnet Financial Crisis Support content:
Christian Prayers for Jobs and Money
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