Years ago, I received a letter soliciting an application with American Insurance Group, also known as AIG. At that time, they were the largest insurance group in the world. In the last quarter of 2008, they posted the single largest quarterly economic loss in the history of American business. The loss was $61.7 billion in that one quarter. What we also learned that week was that despite the loss, AIG would be rewarding their upper echelon of employees with a cumulative bonus pool of around $450 million. The CEO stated the company was contractually obligated for the bonuses. The contract did not specify any benchmarks for bonuses. We are talking about benchmarks like positive earnings and a growing customer base.
Sadly, AIG sought a government bailout of $175 billion. Remember! Any time the local, state, or federal government spends money, you and I are the ones who pay up. Hard working Americans who play by the rules, exercise responsibility, and still live paycheck to paycheck are the ones who subsidize multimillion dollar bonuses for a bunch of economic under achievers. Nothing has changed over two decades. The reality is the last two plus decades have continued to dump bailouts, bonuses, and support for undocumented illegal non-residents on the shoulders of the middle class.
While I was throwing stones at these AIG bigwigs, I got a little thump on the head from God. He reminded me of how often I make plans and ask Him to bless them. He also reminded me of how often those plans ended badly and my prayer then was for a divine bailout. During the conquest of Canaan, Joshua and the leaders of Israel were deceived by the Gibeonites. The story is found in Joshua 9. These Gibeonites were shrewd. Having heard of Israel’s victories over Jericho and Ai, they chose not to ally with neighboring kingdoms to fight the Israelites. Instead, some of their leaders put on tattered clothing and put molded bread in the bags for a short trip to the Israelite encampment. They lied, saying they had come from far away after hearing of the great God of Israel. They sought a treaty, and the Israelite leaders granted it even though it violated God’s command (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). The convicting verse is found in Joshua 9:14 – “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.” The Gibeonites were liars, but Joshua and his leaders fell for the lies because they did not consult God to seek His wisdom and direction.
Much of the frustration and dissatisfaction that many folks feel today stems from our failure to consult God. Many churches teeter on the precipice of decline or cower on the plateau of complacency because they do their budgets, formulate their calendars, and make their plans without consulting with God. The abundant life the Lord Jesus promised is within our grasp if we will simply, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” There will always be people and possibilities that look good, sound good, and deceive you into missing God’s best for your life. If you let them! God is always faithful to His children. When you consult Him with intent to hear and obey, He will direct your path.
