SENTINEL WATCH November 9, 2009 Issue

WHO'S GUARDING OUR WEALTH?

JEFF WARD-BAILEY

DESPITE REPORTS that the global economy is beginning to bounce back from last fall's near-meltdown, there persists a good deal of public nervousness about the overall stability of the financial system. After all, the banking sector is still struggling to implement wide-ranging reforms to forestall future crises, and to counteract the complacency and poor economic policy that led to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and other investment firms lastfall. Compounding this difficulty, a British think tank released a report in mid-September suggesting that the financial sector has failed to learn much from the year's struggles, and that banks worldwide are slowly returning to a "business as usual" mentality without taking the necessary steps to avoid a similar crisis in the future.

Since most of us don't wield positions of economic power, how can we trust that our savings will be taken care of? Approaching economic concepts from a metaphysical, rather than a material, perspective brings healing—even when the scope of the problems is on a national or international level.

Many Bible accounts involve overcoming financial problems or material lack. Take, for instance, the Old Testament story of the widow of Zarephath. She had no control at all over her financial situation. In fact, she and her son had only a "handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse" (I Kings 17:12). At this point, the prophet Elijah demonstrated how spiritual riches could eclipse material poverty. He proved that God's abundance was in effect even in those circumstances of destitution, and his calm spiritual vision broke through the woman's concern.