You sit there with the telephone ringing again and your heart sinks like a stone in deep water. I know that sound, that dread of yet another voice bringing threat and shame right into your own home. When a man is in debt, the weight sits on his chest all day and sleeps with him at night, and every knock at the door seems to announce a new accuser. You have been trying to do what is right, to repay what you owe, and yet the waves keep breaking over the bow of your little boat, and you wonder how long you can stay afloat.
But let me tell you something that is surer than every debt you owe and every call that disturbs your peace. There is a debt that has been paid in full already, and it is the only debt that could ever truly sink you. I mean the great mountain of sin that stood between you and God. When Christ Jesus hung upon that cross, He cried out that it was finished, and the handwriting of ordinances that was against us was nailed there with Him. If you have trusted yourself to Him, then the one debt that really mattered has been cancelled, and the prison door is swung wide open. I remember well the day I learned that my enormous debt of sin had been fully discharged by my Lord, and my heart leaped into liberty and gladness! And I tell you, dear soul, that liberty does not depend on a clean bill from earthly creditors. It is an inward freedom that no collector can seize and no lawsuit can touch.
All these calls and letters press upon you like a crowd of thronging duties, each one shouting to be dealt with at once, and you scarcely know which way to turn. That is exactly the moment when the sweetest peace may steal into your heart like a dove alighting on a windowsill. How does that peace come? Not when the debts vanish, but when you do the little you can do and leave the impossible to your Savior. You are asking Him for a loan to settle your affairs, well, ask on, and work as you are able, but rest your soul in this: you are doing the will of Jesus when you honestly seek to pay every man his due. And to do Jesus’ will, even in the middle of that tumult, is itself a deep, unshakable rest. What you cannot manage, leave with Him. He has promised to be your harbor, and not merely a harbor for sunny Sabbaths, but a port for all weathers. He invites you to abide in Him, on Monday morning when the calls begin again, and on Friday night when you are spent and fearful of the morrow.
I think you fear the shame that might come upon your family if these creditors knock at the door or ring up your friends. It is a black-edged envelope you would not wish anyone to see. Yet let me whisper this: our blessed Master once hung naked upon a cross before a mocking crowd, bearing far greater shame for you, and He did not turn His face away. He has already taken your deepest reproach and buried it in His grave. If He bore that for you, will He not stand with you in this smaller storm? He may not stop every wave, but He will certainly be in the boat with you, and at the right moment He will rise and say, “Peace, be still.” Even if the winds howl on a little longer, you are not alone. His presence is the real peace you crave, not the peace of a sleeping conscience or a painless circumstance, but the living, breathing peace of God that passes all understanding and keeps your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.
So set your mind on Him rather than on the debt. Let the blood of Jesus whisper peace within you, louder than every threat. I am not promising that the loan will come exactly as you wish, for your Father may have a better way that you have not yet seen. But I do promise, on the sure word of Scripture, that no true child of God shall ever be utterly cast away. The Lord will make a way. He may feed you with manna you never expected, or He may open the Red Sea when you hear the chariots of Egypt rumbling behind you. Only keep your eyes on Him and not on the waves.
Let us pray together, shall we?
Father, we come to You in the strong name of Jesus, who is Lord over every bill, every debt, and every anxious heart. You know the shame and fear that press upon this dear one, and You know the honest desire to do right by all. Speak Your peace into this storm, we pray. Still the threats, silence the clamor, and make a straight path through these deep waters. Provide what is needed, whether by a loan or by some other open hand from Your storehouse of mercy. And until the outward relief comes, let the inward peace of Christ reign mightily in this home. Guard the new job, protect the family, and show Yourself as the God who hears and answers prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
