God’s Comfort When Finances Fall Apart

The late Tim Keller once said, “Just because you can’t see or imagine a good reason why God would allow something bad to happen… doesn’t mean there can’t be one.”

When something bad happens to your finances, it’s tempting to wonder if God really knows what he’s doing. Well, he does!

1 Peter 5:7 reminds us of God’s love for us in the midst of life’s troubles: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” It’s a reassuring verse, but you must know the context to understand God’s comfort fully.

The Apostle Peter wrote his letters to Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. Many of them were being persecuted, discriminated against, and even murdered because of their faith in Jesus.

In these hardships, Peter told his readers to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Life is not always easy. It certainly wasn’t for first-century Christians and may not be for you right now. But Peter’s words contain the secret of God’s comfort. It begins with humility.

You can probably think of a time when you were going along just fine, and out of the blue, something awful happened, like the death of a loved one, a business failure, a car accident, or a job loss. These tragedies can have severe emotional, physical, and financial consequences.

How do you usually react when bad things happen? Maybe you feel anxious and say, “That’s not how things were supposed to go!” Or, you might feel angry and discouraged, thinking, “Nothing good can ever come from this!”

If this sounds like you, you’re in good company. Whether you read the book of Psalms and see David praying laments before God or see Job questioning God during the unfair trials he faced, we leave with this beautiful truth. God can handle our raw, honest emotions.

Like David and Job, in these difficult circumstances, we need to continually be reminded that God is mighty, loving, and perfectly capable of running the universe. As worshipers, we’re not called to deny our pain but instead offer it to the only One who can do anything about it.

When we bring our grief into God’s presence, we gain perspective. It’s a perspective that rises above the storm. It’s a perspective that sees the Son of Man standing alongside you in the fire.

There’s another idea in this passage that can help us when we struggle. It’s the part that says God will lift us up in due time. In other words, God is sovereign, and there is always hope. We can trust God’s timing, even if it doesn’t match our expectations. God is working things out for our good and his glory.

When the struggles in your life hit you hard, spend extra time reading God’s Word. Pray. Find out what God wants to teach you through your struggles. Spend time with other believers, encouraging each other.

The next few verses in 1 Peter 5 explain why these spiritual disciplines are so important. 1 Peter 5:8 reads, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

This passage reminds us of the spiritual battle going on all around us. Suffering can make us even more vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. He tries to make us believe we can live without God, but Peter tells us to resist his lies. Bible study, fellowship, and prayer will help you stand firm in the faith.

Trust the Lord that he has a good reason for what you’re going through right now!

Timothy Keller also wrote, "If we knew what God knows, we would ask exactly for what he gives.”

So, when your finances fall apart, here’s how to find real, deep, lasting comfort:

• Set aside your expectations for how things should be
• Humble yourself, and confess your pride
• Acknowledge God’s right to be the Lord in every situation
• Rest in the hope that God works all things out for your ultimate good
• List the things you’re worried about or afraid of in this time of trouble
• “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
• And stand firm in your faith!

In Romans 5:3-5, Paul reveals that God uses hardships to make us more like Christ— a very good thing. It reads:

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

You can also listen the related podcast on this topic.