We were watching “Children in Need” on the BBC last November. This year, it raised over £26m for the 2,500 children’s charities that it supports. One felt overwhelmed at times by the need, sometimes caused by illness, accident or misfortune and on the other side by poverty or social and financial deprivation.
What does one do when
unemployment takes its toll? The prospect of unemployment, the event itself or
the enduring situation itself destroys not just the financial position of individuals
and the family, but their self-confidence and self-esteem.
I do not know where
most people turn to when this happens. After all, most people do not have spare
properties or large savings to fall back on and a personal and business network
which will keep them going. What do most people do in the first few days and
weeks after this? There are the inevitable feelings of bitterness and injustice.
These can, I expect, be so overwhelming, to be the main and permanent pre-occupation,
before a sense of helplessness sets in.
And then there is the
search for new work, visiting the job centre, seeing what retraining is
available, making sure that all the benefits that can be claimed are claimed,
providing that there is enough support and mental energy to do this.
And then there is the
cry from nearly everyone that the government, councils, social services,
companies, charities should do more, that they should create more jobs and that
they should spend more.
I state all this, to
make the observation that in most cases, there will be no thought of God in all
this. I am assuming that, up to this point, God has not been a part of general
life of the individual or that of the family. To the extent that God has been
considered in all this, He will now be ignored or blamed – yes – most likely
blamed. He has never been thought of at all. Life went on quite happily in the
good old days without Him, so why think of Him now.
It seems so laughable
to look to God for help. What can He do? Why would He do it anyway?
In an earlier blog, I
entertained some ideas on how a personal relationship with God might start. http://colinhawkersother.blogspot.com/2012/01/acknowledge-what-we-are.html. Actually, a further
starting point is a good old fashioned cry for help. “God, I need your help. I
do not know what to do”.
Strangely, I wonder whether there is any the downside in asking for God’s help. If there is no God, then apart from looking or feeling stupid, nothing has been lost. If this is the case, then it is just a tick in the box. “Tried that; didn’t work”.
The problem actually
starts if He is there. What is it that you are asking for? Even if you know
what you want (money; a job), what is it be that God wants to give you? What
happens if they are not the same? …and there is a very good chance that they
will not be the same.
We will ask God for
the obvious (nothing wrong with this). I need a job. I need money. I need
strength to keep going. I need my friends to help me.
But as well as asking
God for these things, what else should we think about? What about the nagging
fear that continually exists and lurks in the background, and the lack of
confidence that sets in? Why not ask God to help with this?
What about your
relationships and friends, from whom you need support? Why not ask God to help with this? (Do not
underestimate the support you need from friends; not necessarily just sympathy,
but support and encouragement).
You have no downside
in asking God for help. As you might expect from me, as Bible quote is always
in order. Here is a link to Psalm 142. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20142&version=NIV
But if you do not ask
God, then you will certainly not get His help. You can blame Him and curse Him
(I don’t suppose that He cares very much), and perhaps even this is better than
ignoring Him. But don’t ignore Him.
