Transformed-Financial Health

To possess some sense of security, we must rely on a source for finances. This is inevitable. I think most of us know this and act accordingly. However, I have found that it is so easy to fall into the trap of believing that our finances determine our future, and money dictates our decisions. Although there may be some truth to that statement, it is bypassing our most significant source of provision and stability-- God.

Our possessions are fleeting, but God is everlasting. Our finances may fail us, but God never leaves us. God has given us everything we have, and He could take it all away. Therefore, we must trust in Him to provide for our needs, as He has trusted us to steward our money.

In the book of Job, every possible health and financial burden is illustrated. Job, a follower of God, is stripped of all his possessions, his family, his health, and his friends. Throughout the book, Job gets angry with God (as pretty much anybody would given the situation). Meanwhile, his “friends” relentlessly point out all the reasons they believe he has been “punished.” My initial thought in reading this book was, “Why would God allow such a faithful servant of Him to suffer so greatly?” However, I think God was testing Job on a truth we all need to remember. The truth is that whether we have nothing or we have everything, God must remain Lord over all. Job, although he was angry, did not veer from holding his trust and stability in God.

The story concludes with Job repenting for questioning God’s wisdom, and declaring that God is in control (Job 42:2-6). After this, God chooses to bless Job with twice as much as he had before (42:10). Although I would never want to go through what Job did, my hope is that I, too, would remain faithful to God despite all of the challenges.

Being good stewards of our finances is essential to our well-being. Likewise, in order to be good stewards we must remain faithful to God with (and despite) our finances.

Therefore, let us give control of our finances and possessions to the One who gave us them in the first place. For He is our provider, and He is our source. 

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

Edited by: De Ann Sturdivant