Dipo Olowookere
By Nneka Okumazie
At the height of the 2008 economic crisis, as decision makers scrambled and business leaders huddled, they made moves and took actions to contain the situation. They did as much as possible – within the reach of their power.
Still, the recession swept through nations, protests and public anger grew, many went bankrupt and homeless, lots of people inflicted violent deaths on themselves and some others around them, unemployment rose, foreclosures rippled across, entrepreneurs couldn’t make payroll, businesses died off, many took to addictions to cope, life went dark for many.
Decision makers probably did their best – in the ways they could, using instruments available to them, but their ideas were not good enough.
The people supposed to be the smartest in the world – able to adopt appropriate knowledge or create new fascinating knowledge, fell short of ideas to properly handle the financial crisis.
The limitation of knowledge or lack of encompassing ideas – is stark in this world of massive advances.
There’s lot of progress that equates smartness to unbeatable, but the weak spot of the best of expert is apparent in their lack of knowing what to do – when everything starts falling apart.
It is easy to get carried away by what knowledge has made possible, but to forget the breadth that knowledge hasn’t covered, that could – at any point – get ahead of everyone, bearing confusion, panic, fear, bad ideas and anxiety.
There are warnings – from the eternal – that put your hope in nothing in this world, no matter how much it is in favour, or how certain it seems, no matter what calm it brings, or what peace it promises, or its privileges. All these hopes are a fake and often subject to devastating failure.
[John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.]
There are already incurable diseases that the best of scientists say would never become curable, but their goal is to make it a chronic disease.
The present one is the coronavirus renamed COVID-19, which has affected several countries including Japan, China, USA, and Europe, killing over 3,000 and infecting over 100,000 in the year 2020.
There’ve been lots of economic models through centuries, but they keep meeting situations that flip them into foolishness.
There are lots of academic writings on inequality, unemployment, trade and manufacturing that lack workability and have no way to policy because the ideas are dependent on another factor that isn’t guaranteed.
It is hard to look at what many people face in their struggles or despair – without any forthcoming solution – and think that the world can fix the world’s pressing problems.
So, if experts can fail, politicians can fail, health can fail, happiness or spikes in mood can fail, businesses can fail, etc. what then is the answer?
Many don’t want to hear about Christianity, in part, because they seem to hate what they’ll give up to be fully devoted.
Also, some don’t believe in the love of God, without proof.
[Psalm 115:16, The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath He given to the children of men.]
Many questions the love of God like what they want off their bucket list.
Just like it is possible to choose addiction, sex, greed, insults, hate, evil, wickedness, negligence, stupidity, etc. same way it is possible to accept Christ – in total surrender.
People who know they cannot say – for certain – what tomorrow holds, or understand life’s complex situations, will use that limited capacity to criticize the firmament of God’s power.
[Psalm 150:1, Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power.]
People who have experienced frustration understand what it means – coming internally, or externally.
Some – believing in their smartness – have been frustrated overthinking a problem, finding nothing come to mind or no understanding.
[2 Samuel 1:27, How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!]
Trying to think about God, His love, or power against the scriptures is frustration, and leads to finding alternatives that bears steal, kill and destroy.
Humans often measure things in proportion to calculation. But there have been examples where love between people did everything love meant until it was clear that it was pinchbeck.
God, the creator, sees differently from His creation.
God can see lack of giving as a form of greed. God can see the thinking of something as doing it.
The love of God is real – for those that have ears to hear.
Yes, life can get easy or tough, things can go well or wrong, promises or potentials can show up or not, recession or epidemic may come or not, but there is no lasting happiness, or hope or peace anywhere else, the answer genuine Christians choose is Looking unto Jesus.
[1 Kings 18:39, And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, the Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God.]
