Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, November 11, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We are obsessed with money in the U.S. From infancy we are inundated with messages telling us our ultimate goal in life ought to be to accumulate wealth. Not as a means to an end, like doing good in some way, or even enjoying life, but as an end unto itself. And we have this bizarre delusion that if we have enough wealth, we are—or ought to be—exempt from pain. But experience (and a great deal of social science research) shows that no amount of money can insulate us from tragedy or misfortune of any kind, nor does it guarantee us happiness in our relationships or lives in general.
Of course I don’t believe that God inflicts “wrath” on any individual, group, or even society. Frankly I think we do a pretty good job of that ourselves. And sometimes bad things just happen. Silver and gold won’t save us from these things. Nor will they help us through them. What does help us through them is trust in God and the lovingkindness of others. What helps us through them is allowing ourselves to feel our feelings, being patient with our grief, and leaning in to our support networks knowing that God is at the center of all things. These are things money can’t buy.
Does the accumulation of wealth keep me from trusting God?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
