“Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come.” Isaiah 41:21-23 ESV
Reflection: what investment strategy do you follow, especially now as the world seem to be in a crisis?
With all the turmoil in the world, crazy weather all over, climate changes, wars and rumors of wars, mass migration, high energy and oil prices, high inflation, high lending rates, jobs being replaced by automation and AI, just to mention a few, are all contributing to a significant instability in the financial markets across the world. It is pretty difficult to know where to place your savings and investments, whom to listen to for advice. But, interestingly, even with all these factors causing instability, there is no shortage of people saying they know what to do. And they have no problem taking people’s life savings, and placing that into something they really have no control over, nor can make an honest prediction about. And for the individuals, it is easy to look at the balance going up, but not so easy to see the balance going down. But, let me ask a difficult question for each of us to consider, with all the focus on money,
has money become an idol for us, a god?
As we look to the balance of our investments to “carry us into the future”, taking us “through retirement”? Asked in another way, are we more concerned about the balance of our financial investments, than the balance of our eternal investments? Which investment is taking more of our time and energy? We read today from Isaiah, the Lord God asking some similar questions. Let’s read for context, “Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.” Isaiah 41:21-24 ESV.
It is almost humerus to read this, as the Lord is mocking man’s dead idols. As if they can “tells us what is to come”. It is a joke, of course, as no idol, not even any man can know the future. Cannot even tell about the “former things”. This is why the Lord calls all idols that man worship even “less than nothing, “Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.” Isaiah 41:24 ESV. And, the Lord summarizes His mocking of idols by saying “But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. Behold, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their metal images are empty wind.” Isaiah 41:28-29 ESV. So we too, need to think about who are we going to for answers about what will happen? Looking to anything other than the Lord God for the future is therefore offensive to God, “an abomination” as He calls it.
So is there such a thing as a “safe investment” for us?
The Lord God knows we need the basics for living. He told us directly not to be anxious about living, as you might recall, ““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26 ESV. For some reason, we can put our faith in God for eternity, but have a hard time trusting him with the basics of this life. And, regarding our investments, Jesus actually gave us a perfect investment strategy ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 ESV.
Perhaps we should re-evaluate our investment strategy?
