Economic Crash or Nirvana?

No one seems to know which way the world’s economy is going to go. Some political voices cry disaster is on the horizon. Other political voices say we are on the right path to save our world.

Holy Spirit reminded me of a vision I had in the early 1980’s about the Emperor’s New Clothes. In the book, The Emperor’s New Clothes2, some weavers of clothes offered to make the emperor a new outfit. The weavers, of the invisible clothes, had set the trap that if anyone admitted they didn’t see the clothes they were unworthy of their position. Everyone, including the emperor, was afraid or too prideful to admit they didn’t see the clothes. It was a child that saw the truth that the emperor was naked. Why? Children don’t have their vision clouded by their past. They have an innocents and trust that keeps their vision clear from pride or agendas.

All the voices of the world are clouded with confusion because of past experiences, their education, or traumas. This being said, “What should we do in a world full of chaos?”

Practical Steps

Here are some practical tips that can remove the cluttered voices of confusion.

• Trust God. I know that this seems simple, but it works. Choose to trust that God is bigger than your circumstances. Asking him to intervene and take control. This will set you up for him to direct your path. We may not know what is going on, but he does. When you are walking through a mine field of traps, you need to ask Jesus where to step. He was victorious in his life.

• Ask Holy Spirit for wisdom. He is the spirit of wisdom. The world was created but then became formless and filled with darkness (see Genesis 1). Holy Spirit came into the mess. Then when God spoke, Holy Spirit recreated what was destroyed. Invite the Holy Spirit into your mess. This will open the door to hear what God is saying over your situation. God’s word will cause chaos to turn into new pathways for victory.

• Give God and Holy Spirit permission to come change you. Allow old mindsets to be removed. This will remove fears and the “what ifs” questions we have about the future. Jesus fulfilled between 200 to 400 prophecies while on the earth. He didn’t set out to fulfill them. He just did what his father said. Us organizers want 15 steps to success. When we choose to give control to the father, he will be sure to keep us on the best path for our lives.

Prayer — Proverbs 3:5-7 NIV

Paraphrased into a Prayer

I trust you, Lord, with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. I recognize your ways are better than my ways and ask that you direct me to the best path. I realize that I can’t see the big picture and acknowledge that I have a limited view of what is really happening around me. I know you are a God who brings true justice and I put my life in your hands of grace and mercy which Jesus provided through his shed blood on the cross. I ask for childlike faith to see how you see and trust you with all my heart. Amen!

Scriptures

Proverbs 8, John 5:19

References

Nirvana — A state in which the mind, enlightened as to the illusory nature of self, transcends all suffering and attains peace. https://www.wordnik.com/words/nirvana

¹The Emperor’s New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen