Food becomes like Gold as Fear battles Faith
Back in the 1970’s, Larry Norman sang a song that included the lines:
Life was filled with guns and war,
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we’d all been ready.
Children died the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold,
I wish we’d all been ready.”
As we watch with growing amazement at conditions around the world, the words of that song don’t seem so remote anymore. Consider what has happened in the past couple of years:
—The price of gasoline has increased by 49%, now closing in on $3.75 a gallon.
—-The price of crude oil has surged from $55 a barrel to over $110 a barrel.
—The value of housing has dropped by almost 20% around the nation.
—Milk tops $4 a gallon in many stores now.
—Job losses are growing and stocks, on average, are down 6 percent from a year ago.
—-The nation’s debt is at $9 trillion dollars, up from $5 trillion in 2001.
—-The value of the US dollar, the means by which the world evaluates our economic condition, has dropped by almost a third in the past 12 months.
—Foreclosures on homes are up 35% overthe past 18 months.
—Consumer debt continues to climb andbankruptcies are increasing even under new tightened restrictions.
But of all these things that we face, there is none more pressing and urgent than what we are seeing in the world food markets. The Washington Post summed up the world food crisis this week (Washington Post April 27, 2008)
“The globe's worst food crisis in a generation emerged as a blip on the big boards and computer screens of America's great grain exchanges. At first, it seemed like little more than a bout of bad weather.
As prices rose, major grain producers including Argentina and Ukraine, battling inflation caused in part by soaring oil bills, were moving to bar exports on a range of crops to control costs at home. It meant less supply on world markets even as global demand entered a new phase.
Already, corn prices had been climbing for months. But as supplies in the pipelines of global trade shrank, prices for corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, rice and other grains began shooting through the roof.
Foreign buyers, who typically seek to purchase one or two months' supply of wheat at a time, suddenly began to stockpile. Food riots began to erupt worldwide. This led major domestic U.S. mills to jump in with their own massive orders, fearing that there would no wheat at any price.”
“Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan all came in with huge orders, and no matter how high prices go, they keep on buying," said Jeff Voge, chairman of the Kansas City Board of Trade. "We have never seen anything like this before. Prices are going up more in one day than they have during entire years in the past. But no matter the price, there always seems to be a buyer. . . .”
Fear versus Faith
Already, there have been food riots in 14 countries, while at present, the US has faced only a shortage of rice. Asian countries have begun to stockpile what rice they can to feed their own people. Rice is the one cheaply and domestically grown crop in Asia that is the staple of almost 2 billion people.
Such conditions have not been seen since the Soviet grain emergency from 1972-1975 when prices rose 78 percent. Many international aid organizations are struggling now to provide aid to hungry poor across the globe as they are hit with a falling dollar, rising food prices and a shortage of food at any price.
In America we are finding our budgets tighter, as gasoline and food have risen substantially, yet have not been faced with the raw hunger that is now beginning to affect billions.
In the 1930’s Franklin Roosevelt encouraged people during the Depression to remember, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” There is a lot of truth there, yet when people are hungry, they will resort to doing many things that, under other conditions, would never enter their minds.
In the 1930’s, men and women patiently stood in food lines waiting for soup and bread. Do we have that character still in America to do the same should food be rationed or be difficult to find. I hope so for all of our sakes.
If our own food supply suffers, believers are going to have to choose between giving into fear that will be all around them, or holding onto their faith in the Lord Jesus. It is a more significant battle than even the presidential election contest that seems to use up all the oxygen in the air.
Where are you placing your hope? Did you know that your faith actually rests upon the foundation of whatever you hope in? (Titus 1:2). If you trust yourself or the government to supply your needs, then your faith will stand or fall on you or your government. Are we wise to trust either? The Bible tells us that nations and kings are but dust on the scales. What can they do for us in the day of trouble?
As humans, we are but dust. For thousands of years, men have risen and fallen and lived and died—but God still remains and His promises still are true. Listen to this sure hope given to encourage your heart. “The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.” Psalms 33:18
As we minister in India, a billion people are wondering how they will feed themselves and their families. We who know Jesus, will continue to share His love with bread for their bodies and the bread of life—which is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! |
