Apart from the ‘not-so-common sense’ strategies that are widely advised for implementation during a recession, what more can one do to outlast this season of adversity? It’s interesting that the answer to this question will vary from person to person. You may even find that there are some people who don’t need to do anything new or different, and they’ll be just fine, but it’s important to know and to do the right thing.

In Biblical times, recessions were referred to as famine or dearth and people responded to it in different ways.

Abraham went down to Egypt and his grandson, Jacob, did the same. Isaac went to Gerar and God appeared to him and asked him to remain there and not go to Egypt like his father had done. God promised to be with him and bless him, and God kept His word. Isaac believed that word to the extent that he sowed in Gerar and in the same year he got a hundredfold return.

David engaged God and found the reason for the famine his people were experiencing. He made amends and God spared the land. That particular famine was triggered by a breach in a covenant. All previous efforts to put an end to that famine had failed because the root cause had not been addressed.

Elijah’s story is quite intriguing. First of all, God told him to go and hide by a brook which would be his water source, and then God commanded a raven to feed him. The raven brought bread and flesh in the mornings and evenings. After the brook dried up, God asked him to go to Zarephath where He had commanded a widow to sustain him. In obeying God, both Elijah and the widow’s family were supernaturally provided for until that famine was over.

It isn’t always on record whether the response of these recession survivors were direct commands from God but we know that God orders the steps of the righteous and if we depend on Him for direction, He’ll lead us along the best pathway for our lives. One good thing for us to do in such a time as this is to stay connected to Him and follow His leading. Stay connected through prayer, worship, praise, meditation on His word, and so on.

Reading and meditating on the word of God is a safety measure on this journey of being led by God because it keeps you aware of the ways of God, His nature and His character such that when thoughts, ideologies, and suggestions that do not align with Him are presented to you in any form or manner, you’ll be able to tell right away.

Recessions can be quite a storm, but hey, why should you fear when the One who calms the worst of storms is in your boat? Stay Connected to God!