money stolen

[Chrysostom]

The theft of a huge sum of money is a sharp wound, and your shock and sadness are entirely natural. Yet lift up your head. When the Apostle speaks of being without covetousness, he points us to what is truly necessary and indispensable, and then seals it with the promise: He has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." This is not a promise concerning money only, but concerning all things. If the Lord is your Helper, what can man do to you? The thief took your silver, but he cannot take your God.

You ask for protection from further harm and to forget this evil. Here is a path to both. When someone plunders you, and you could run to diviners or descend into consuming anxiety to get it back, but instead you choose to bear the loss out of fear of God, you have a reward equal to him who gave his money to the poor. If, having lost, you give thanks, and refuse to recover it by ungodly means, you turn a worldly loss into a heavenly gain. Do not let the fear of poverty become a second robber. For why do you tremble at poverty? It is not the thing itself but the judgment of feeble-minded men that makes it fearful. If you practice self-command, poverty can be a fountain of countless blessings. Remember Paul, a tent-maker, utterly glorious. Remember the Lord, who became poor so that through His poverty you might become rich. The true riches are a boldness towards God that no thief can touch. Let the peace you seek be rooted here, and the fear of poverty will find no lodging in your soul.

 

[Silas]

The shock and sadness you feel are entirely understandable. What was done to you was wrong, and the sense of violation runs deep. When someone takes what does not belong to them, it is a direct fruit of the love of money, which the Scriptures tell us is a root of all kinds of evil. That greed is not just a small flaw; it is the twisted engine behind so much heartbreak and destruction in the world. The thief’s heart was enslaved by this, and you are now bearing the painful consequences. Recognizing this doesn’t erase the hurt, but it does help us see the act for what it is: a spiritual sickness, not just a financial one.

Your request to be free from the fear of poverty is a crucial one. Fear like that takes hold when we fix our eyes on the outward circumstances, on the empty space in the sack where the money once was. Jacob despaired when he saw the money in his sons' sacks and imagined only slavery and ruin, because he was looking at what he could see and not trusting the unseen hand of God. The cure for that kind of fear is not a guaranteed bank balance, but a deliberate turning of your eyes onto the Lord Himself. He is your confidence. When your life is hidden in His providential care, you can rest in the truth that nothing can ultimately touch you unless He allows it for your good and His purposes. The moment we say, "Lord, this entire situation is in Your hands," we begin to find the peace that passes all understanding.

And that is the true fear of the Lord we are called to. It is not a cowering dread of punishment, but a deep, awed reverence for His greatness and His love. It is fearing that we might hurt the One who loves us so completely. This holy fear changes our relationship with everything else, including money. When a greedy heart puts money at the center, it finds emptiness and breeds misery. But when the fear of the Lord is at the center of your life, you discover a richness and security that no thief can touch. Even in a trial of deep poverty, God can cause an abundance of joy and liberality to flow from a heart that is anchored in Him, not in possessions.

That peace you long for is not automatic. It is possible to have peace with God through Christ and still live in a turmoil of anxiety because you have not yet experienced the peace of God. That deeper peace comes when you fully rest your case in His hands. It is the quiet certainty that your Father has seen the wrong, He knows your need, and He will sustain you. The money may be gone, but His care for you has not weakened for a single moment. Place your whole weight on that truth. Do not be afraid of sudden fear or the desolation that comes from wickedness, for the Lord will be your confidence and keep your foot from being taken. Ask Him for the grace not only to recover financially but to find your soul mended and whole, with your hope set so firmly on Him that the shadow of poverty loses its power to frighten you. He is your treasure, and with Him, you have everything you need.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.