Prevailing Winds

by Edward Smith
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, 31 December 1991

It is amazing how "leading economic indicators" can point in so many directions: ask ten economists which way the wind is blowing, and you’ll get twelve answers. It's no wonder that so many people show little confidence in the economy. Unfortunately, Christians often tend to put more trust in these same economic indicators than they do in the Lord. As a result, they cut back or stop giving as they should, crippling themselves (and the Lord’s work) in the process. Sliding into inactivity, they wait to see which way things will go before they get out and do His work. The Preacher, in Ecclesiastes 11:4, warns of the folly of observing the wind before springing into action.

"He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap."

As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes all things.

In the morning, sow your seed, and in the evening, do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good Our knowledge of the way God works, he says, is limited (Ecclesiastes 11:5), and to curtail our sowing because we are observing the wind is to restrict the prosperity He can effect (Ecclesiastes 11:6).

Withholding Our Hand

When things get tight, the first impulse that many of us have is to "withhold our hand" (Ecclesiastes 11:6). As individuals, and even as congregations, we make the misguided assumption that we are being good stewards and avoiding economic ruin by cutting back on what we spend. Although our finances are to be sound and we should not be careless or frivolous in the commitments we make with the Lord’s money, neither should we fail to trust in God’s promise that He will provide for our needs (Matt. 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-34; 2 Corinthians 9:8). The withholding of many individuals can stifle the work of benevolence and evangelism that the church is to do, as can failure to spend the money that has been contributed. We should never lose sight of the fact that all of our material goods belong to God (Psalm 50:10-11; I Chronicles 29:14), and that we are accountable for everything He entrusted to us to use in His service (Matthew 25:19).

Occasionally, our sense of obedience or obligation will prevent us from withholding outright, so we continue to give a fraction of what we should. If we are honest, we will admit that this lesser gift isn’t a sacrifice: it is something we can manage to do without. David recognized the importance of having a cost associated with a sacrifice when he refused to offer Araunah’s oxen without paying him for them (II Samuel 24:24). In Malachi 1:7-8, Jehovah condemns Israel for giving lame animal sacrifices, things they would not dare give to their governors. Can you imagine giving a "lame offering" to the Internal Revenue Service? Not only would we lose whatever we gave them, but we would also incur penalties. In much the same way, there is a "hidden" cost when we withhold our giving to God: it costs us His pleasure!

Prosperity

Before we withhold our hand from giving to the Lord, we need to acknowledge that it all belongs to Him in the first place. If we are liberal in what we give back to Him,

He will reward us abundantly (Proverbs 3:9-10). Whether the reward is spiritual or physical, our motivation is not driven by greed, but by the heart (II Corinthians 9:6-7). When we give from selfish motives, we forget that God’s sense of prospering may not be the same as ours (Ecclesiastes 11:6). Prosperity in our giving to Him may be in the relief of destitute saints, or the thanksgiving to Him that it produces (II Corinthians 9:12-14). Or, true prosperity may be in allowing the Gospel to reach new places and bear abundant fruit (Philippians 4:15-17).

While economic trends may cause others to worry about themselves, we should maintain our focus on Jehovah and His kingdom. We should never be tempted to withhold our hand from sowing, and our leading economic indicators should be His kingdom (Luke 12:34). The prevailing wind direction in our lives is from above.