Psalm 37 is a very worthwhile read if you haven't reviewed it lately. One of the phrases it contains which has always stuck with me is in verse 25, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread."
The whole passage talks about how God is a refuge for the righteous, and how he protects them during times of famine and trouble, unlike the wicked who may prosper for a time, but in the day of trouble can only wail with despair as God turns a blind eye to their suffering.
I quietly announced last month that I believe the nation and the world will soon be facing another time of economic hardship. Even though our dear Federal Reserve Chair is desperately singing and dancing to the emperor's tune of "everything's fine," there are plenty of skeptics out there who have said that at best the numbers are fishy, and at worst the US government is only marginally better than the Chinese (who are well-known for simply inventing statistics that support their government policies).
When it comes to an interest rate hike, I'm ambivalent. On the one hand, we've been at zero percent (or very nearly) interest rates since the Global Recession seven years ago, so it's high time that we got off the floor in order to dissuade companies from engaging in the same ridiculous business practices which caused each of the last major financial crises in the first place. On the other hand, since we never really solved the problems of the last recessions (we merely kicked the can down the road in time-honored American fashion), a rise in interest rates would likely expose the colossal fault lines in our economic system.
The whole passage talks about how God is a refuge for the righteous, and how he protects them during times of famine and trouble, unlike the wicked who may prosper for a time, but in the day of trouble can only wail with despair as God turns a blind eye to their suffering.
I quietly announced last month that I believe the nation and the world will soon be facing another time of economic hardship. Even though our dear Federal Reserve Chair is desperately singing and dancing to the emperor's tune of "everything's fine," there are plenty of skeptics out there who have said that at best the numbers are fishy, and at worst the US government is only marginally better than the Chinese (who are well-known for simply inventing statistics that support their government policies).
When it comes to an interest rate hike, I'm ambivalent. On the one hand, we've been at zero percent (or very nearly) interest rates since the Global Recession seven years ago, so it's high time that we got off the floor in order to dissuade companies from engaging in the same ridiculous business practices which caused each of the last major financial crises in the first place. On the other hand, since we never really solved the problems of the last recessions (we merely kicked the can down the road in time-honored American fashion), a rise in interest rates would likely expose the colossal fault lines in our economic system.
Realistically though, this is all just a charade. Janet Yellen probably knows that to raise interest rates against such massive headwinds as the ones we're currently facing will only result in yet another broken promise by the Fed. I would compare our current financial situation to being a person lost in the desert with no water (known as GDP growth, or the creation of real wealth), and so we're debating between drinking ex-lax (keeping interest rates low) to "induce more liquidity," or else drinking a bucket of salt-water (raising interest rates) to prove to the rest of the world how healthy we really are. Either way, we're killing ourselves. The real solutions, in my mind, are probably going to come by reducing government spending, paying down our massive amounts of national and personal debt, and then once we've sufficiently de-leveraged, starting to focus more on job creation and financial savings. Does that sound dangerously like austerity to anyone else?
The reason I bring up all of these gloomy prospects, first of all, is to inform you that life may not be as rosy as you think it is, and a thinking individual should be willing to consider these possibilities and plan accordingly. Secondly, I want to remind you all that, in light of Psalm 37, there IS hope for those who trust in Jesus Christ. One reason why I'm not terribly concerned about what unpleasant things may be coming down the pipe is that I have developed enough experiences over the years, ranging from financial hardship to physical danger and emotional breakdown, to conclude that God is faithful in spite of all my worst circumstances.
If you consider yourself a thinking individual, then I'd start doing some research on the global economy and history. Then, I'd also recommend you start looking into establishing some personal savings, and more importantly some material reserves in your residence (extra food, some extra toiletries and daily necessities), because if the economy takes a massive downturn, these things will likely skyrocket in price.
Finally, I'd like to also humbly recommend that you get right with God... in fact that step should probably be first on everyone's list, regardless of the world's circumstances. The promise of scripture is that, if you call yourself a Christian, then even when things get really bad, God will still ensure that you make it.
If you're not sure how to "get right with God," or want to get in on this promise that God will take care of you (although not necessarily in the way you might think!), you can start by reading this article about how to get saved.
The reason I bring up all of these gloomy prospects, first of all, is to inform you that life may not be as rosy as you think it is, and a thinking individual should be willing to consider these possibilities and plan accordingly. Secondly, I want to remind you all that, in light of Psalm 37, there IS hope for those who trust in Jesus Christ. One reason why I'm not terribly concerned about what unpleasant things may be coming down the pipe is that I have developed enough experiences over the years, ranging from financial hardship to physical danger and emotional breakdown, to conclude that God is faithful in spite of all my worst circumstances.
If you consider yourself a thinking individual, then I'd start doing some research on the global economy and history. Then, I'd also recommend you start looking into establishing some personal savings, and more importantly some material reserves in your residence (extra food, some extra toiletries and daily necessities), because if the economy takes a massive downturn, these things will likely skyrocket in price.
Finally, I'd like to also humbly recommend that you get right with God... in fact that step should probably be first on everyone's list, regardless of the world's circumstances. The promise of scripture is that, if you call yourself a Christian, then even when things get really bad, God will still ensure that you make it.
If you're not sure how to "get right with God," or want to get in on this promise that God will take care of you (although not necessarily in the way you might think!), you can start by reading this article about how to get saved.
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