Oh you want to tell your story but you don’t know where to start / Well, your mother’s pretty lonely but she don’t have a heart / And you met the rich and famous and they’re screwed up the same / Even “love will tear us apart” don’t ease the pain

There indeed is a growing uncertainty during this worldwide economic crisis. It is a plight that has emerged and universally affects even the greatest of nations. Many countries are laden with hefty debts, stagnant economies, and extraordinary unemployment.

The United States is not without its own entanglements that need be resolved. Our leaders have spent trillions of dollars in hopes to combat this state of economy. There have been many ideas of thought ranging from spending programs to budget cuts. Yet we find the economy in decline, families struggling to provide a stable income, and individuals surviving paycheck to paycheck.

From observation, there seems to be plenty of reporting regarding the effects the economy has on certain societal classes. Sadly, it seems a hostile jealousy is being cultivated between the “haves” and the “have-nots.”

A current example would be the recent class warfare encouraged by the Occupy Wall Street movement. They claim, as “a leaderless resistance” of a diverse group of individuals, to represent “the 99%” of people, which will no longer tolerate “the greed and corruption of the 1%,” (Occupy Wall Street, 2012). While they may have noteworthy ideals, their thinking is humanistic, rather than biblical, as they falsely premise that those who are wealthy purposefully suppress the poor.

Born out of what could be argued as their own greed and corruption, the Occupy movement has adopted an attitude of entitlement. Purporting, with a Robin Hood mentality, that the poor have a right to what the rich have earned. Instead of being responsible and seeking a respectful solution, they childishly shift the blame of their own economic frustrations through vices of vengeance and hatred.

But the irony remains. A world corrupted by sinful humanity seeks a self-serving humanistic explanation. To an unbeliever, the hurt and pain they face is a direct response to the fear they feel when they realize their hope, their wealth, is not enough to guarantee a stable and secure future.

As Christians, we need to sympathize with the suffering that these individuals face because an accurate assessment of the situation reveals that the real issue is not the deficit of their pocketbooks, but the deficit in their hearts.

And it is this revelation that suggests opportunity – an opportunity to love, to teach, and to proclaim the Gospel. For until the unbeliever recognizes that there is no hope outside of the God of Israel (Psalm 130:7) they will continue to live in fear and desperation.

This Truth is conveyed through an intentional conviction that we are to live our lives as a worship offering to Jesus Christ by ending any personal hypocrisy. We are called not to merely be hearers of the Word, but doers. It will be through our actions that an authentic faith will be revealed if we trust God at His Word and believe that He keeps His promises (Psalm 18:30), including the assurance that our needs will be met (Matthew 6:26).

Once we recognize that the heart of the issue is the issue of the heart, we can liberate ourselves from any perverse hope and unwarranted fear. This does not mean, as Christians, we will be removed from financial trial or tribulation, as we still are affected by the economic woes facing humanity. But we can seek biblical wisdom on such topics as finances, education, investment, and giving to prepare ourselves as astute stewards of the resources God has blessed us with.