Praying in the Downturn

Most of us are more than aware of the current economic situation the world has found itself in and the inevitable recession that is to follow here in the UK. My family were very much affected by the last recession in the 90’s and therefore I have had a strong sense of foreboding for a few months now as more and more headlines have been brought to our attention as the consequences of the ‘credit crunch’ hit the world’s capitalist economies. It has only been recently that I am realising the potential extent of this current crisis. I am not sure who to believe or who to trust: the media, our governments, economists, pundits – are we being told everything or is our sensationalist media unnecessarily scaring us? That aside very few of us are unaffected, or at the very least we know of someone who has been. Many of us who work in the charity or church sector have also seen our own funding drop – when belts need to be tightened, understandably giving to charities is usually the first to be sacrificed.

It has struck me that in thinking about the economic downturn over the last few weeks and months, that not only have I not been praying into this global situation or for God's guidance or hand in it, but I also have not been aware of any major ‘church’ response or call to prayer - not just for our country but for the western world either. Perhaps many were pre-occupied on praying for the recent American election you may have been aware of…

Then today, whilst looking for something else entirely, I came across the prophecies that were given at the 24-7 UK Prayer Day that was held in Guildford in July. One of the prophecies was this: 

There will be major shakings in the West.
We will have Daniel, Joseph, Esther type people who are in the right place when the shaking happens.
While shaking can be just destructive, these people will be able to speak truth into the turmoil.
Those who know our God will be strong.
We need to trust.
The power of God will be displayed.
When people's lives are crumbling they will need help.
During the shaking, there will be fear, but it doesn't define who we are.
Asking the question - Are we dangerous at all?

 At the time I wasn’t sure what this meant. All these people – Daniel, Joseph & Esther - we know were placed by God to speak his will and wisdom into the rulers and governments of the time. Joseph particularly was there during Egypt’s time of economic and food crisis. So I now wonder if this word was God warning us of what was to come in the capitalist cultures of the West where the economic crises has started and has spread. This is no ‘ordinary’ recession. The very fabric that Western society exists and thrives on – money, credit, debt, profit – has produced this crisis and could potentially devastate it.

We don’t know what 2009 will bring, particularly after the big Christmas and New Year spend ends. But perhaps we should be praying for the Daniel, Joseph and Esther types in governments across the world to be revealed by God and allowed to step up and speak God’s wisdom into this crisis, (1 Tim 2:1-2) and how we as Christians can be strong despite the fear around us - even though we will be potentially be just as effected.

 

Politics across the pond

OK so apart from the previous post I haven't blogged for..5 months. Sorry, just busy! Plus haven't really had anything to say. So there we go.

However I have watched with great interest the unfolding drama that is the US elections - or as Jon Stewart's Daily Show aptly puts it "Indecision 2008" - which I think came to a head with Sarah Palin's appointment for Republican VP candidate. My first reaction at hearing this was "John McCain you craftly sod, what a stroke of political genius", because whatever anyone says, the only reason he choose her was because she is a woman - if Hilary Clinton was the Democratic nominee there would have been no way he'd have picked Palin. However the more this unravels the more I think that actually this could seriously backfire for him. Let's not forget, if God forbid something happened to him if he got elected, she would be President of the United States. Can you really imagine Heads of State across the world taking her seriously? When I heard her first speech - which was essentially telling people who on earth she was - if was if she was a parady of what Britian thinks of America: "I'm just a hockey-mom"; "I have 5 kids (yes FIVE - which apparantly makes here a better american)" and the classic "on 9/11..." (yes i know it was seven years ago) "...my son signed up for the Army". Hurray for that - and look what a war-mess that poor boy has landed himself into.

That aside I actually feel very sorry for her. Unless we find out she has a miraculously-genius political mind that only McCain can see, her perhaps promising politcal career will be over if the Republicans loose. I suspect she and even worse her family, will be torn apart by the press - all for a purely political strategy by McCain.

However at least it's marginally more interesting that our current political planet back on blighty. Charles Clark today questioning Gordon Brown's competance was a laughable case of pot calling kettle black. But that's about it.