The Conclusion of the Matter

"Father, shall I sell now?" I go to the LORD with all my questions, even those regarding the stock market!  There are dire warnings out there predicting another huge collapse of the market, and although I have very little invested there, I needed some sound wisdom on the matter.  Hearing no response in my spirit, I decided to go to my Bible and open it randomly, hoping for some direction from my Abba, who knows all things.  The Bible fell open to the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, and the passages struck me so deeply that I not only got my answer, I got THE answer for all our questions in this fragile, chaotic, end-time world.

Ecclesiastes 12:
Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
² before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
³ when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
⁴ when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when men rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
⁵ when men are afraid of heights
and of terror in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags himself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then man goes to his eternal home , 
    and mourners go about the streets.

⁶ Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
or the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
or the wheel broken at the well,
⁷ and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

I paused here to ponder those verses.  Clearly the Teacher who wrote these verses (Solomon) is prophesying about a time at the end of the age, when there is terror in the streets, when food is scarce, and not even water can be found at the springs.  He sees a time when the earth is returning to dust and gold and silver can no longer "save" us.  In fact, this phrase "the silver cord is severed" spoke to me of the "silver lining," or that sweet surrounding of God's love and provision over His creation.  In those days the doors are closed, and I thought of the passage in Isaiah 26, when God's people are told to "go into your rooms, close the doors, and hide yourselves for a little while" as God's wrath passes over.  Yet even in the midst of these dark and gloomy verses, the phrase "when the almond tree blossoms" bursts forth in surprising, unexpected delight!  The almond tree is usually symbolic for Yahovah's authority and sovereignty, just as Aaron's staff that budded with almond blossoms, right in the midst of Israel's slavery in Egypt!

"I am still here on the Throne," our Elohim is saying, "and you must not be in fear in these days, but you must be doing what I have called you to do." 

"Tell me more, then, Father.  What have you called me to do?"

He summed it up in verse 13:

¹³ Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man. 

Suddenly my question regarding whether or not to sell some investments seemed terribly unimportant.  Even though I know our Father wants to be involved in every area of our lives, watching over every step we take, there comes a time when He desires that we would take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  "Fear God and keep His commandments."  This is the conclusion of the matter, this is the whole purpose of our lives!  To "fear" Him is to have a great awe and reverence for the Creator of the Universe, loving Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds and all our strength.  To keep His commandments is to walk in His ways - not our own - which brings life in abundance!

Will the stock market crash again?  Undoubtedly.  The golden bowl will be broken, the sound of grinding will cease, and the sun and moon will turn to darkness.  But the Light of our God will burn ever brighter, and the sons of God - those who have held to the testimony of Yeshua and kept His commandments - will shine ever brighter.  In fact, as we are told in Daniel 12:3, Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever and ever.  But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end..."

And so I shut down the investment website I had been consulting, turned off the computer, and sat before my Creator, enveloped in a great shalom!