In the past week and a half, Kenyans have had to deal with the horrendous hike of fuel prizes in the country. The prize has hit its highest record for the year, spelling doom, and agony for some, and sending chills down the spine for many other families. Looking at an economy where most of the populous is living below the poverty line it is sad that the country is in such a situation as this. Many parents have to face the realities of life; will they buy bread and food for the family or will they pay that extra fare charged in the public transport? Listening to the news on Friday last week, one could not miss the fact that life has just hit a nosedive with the rise of fuel prizes. When you go the shops, basic commodities have hiked already; bread, sugar and other essentials have already seen a change in their price tags on the shelves. Medical care will soon be hit, if not already, and then things may look impossible for the ones who are barely scratching the surface of survival. For sure, it is clear, when the fuel goes, all other things must go up in prices as well. What does this mean to the common citizen? Tough times ahead. That is the meaning of it all. When the trend continues like this, then the righteous, the born again, those who have hope in the Lord should find themselves anchored on a better report than the rising prices of fuel and food. We aren’t being called to be ignorant of change and struggles but really, when our human efforts seems like a nursery recitation, we need something more to help deal with our social strains.
One of the greatest that comes to the righteous is, “Where is the Lord in all these?” The Lord has never moved an inch from his abode. He is still in His Holy Temple. The psalmist reminds us in Psalm 11:4a- “The LORD is in his holy temple;” He is not on a journey, therefore the believers, even in a time like this, can look to and trust in the Lord who is in his dwelling place. This is the hope of the believer in a world that is getting darker and darker- the Lord. Is there hope for the one who trusts in the Lord in such times as this? Hungry, struggling, in stress and strains? The answer is yes. Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.” We are told that he is blessed, that man;
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Who trusts in the Lord
To trust in the Lord is to throw one’s self fully and without reserve, to the mercies of God and his character as ‘faithful’ in all dealings of life. To trust means to let go of our inabilities and depend on God as the one who can fully sustain even when all around my soul gives. When I trust in the Lord, I find him then as my only hope and stay. He becomes my solid rock.
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Whose trust is the Lord
Not only is the believer’s trust in the Lord, but Jeremiah says that he is also blessed when he makes the Lord his trust. God is not only the object but also the very essence of this trust. He has moved from simply releasing himself to the Lord but has received the Lord as the very basis of hope in dark times. The Lord is his trust.
It is one thing to talk of trust but when times like this happen, what we say is up to the test- do I really trust in the Lord and is he really my trust? When push comes to shove, and the foundations are destroyed, what shall the righteous do? The righteous, the psalmist says, shall bring to their memory that the Lord is in his holy Temple. He cannot moved and hence they do not need to be shaken. He is not fretting so they need not be dismayed. He is not in panic so they need not be dismayed. All is well because the Lord is in his throne. That is good news for the believer. When I am in lack because of the tough times ahead, my strength comes, not in my savings or in the decision of the High Court to stop the rise. My strength comes from the knowledge that my God is on his throne and he is not shaken. Friends, that solid hope is not a cliché, but truth- the anchor of our souls.
So what should we do amidst such difficult times? When the fuel price goes up, then we need to fuel our faith! We need to look beyond the 16% hike and see the faithful God enthroned on high; our Jire and Roi/ provider and shepherd; we must see deep beyond what catches the natural eyes, these temporary, passing challenges and see our God who works for those who trust in him. Pray that the Lord will open your heart to trust. The greatest joy in tough times is not they will one-day end when we’re in heaven. The greatest joy in tough times is that we will find our God faithful on his throne, as our reward and sustainer and satisfier of our souls.
