The Recession Is Over?

The "The Great Recession" has ended – at least according to the Nationa Bureau of Economic Research, a private, nonprofit research organization.The NBER said Monday that the recession, which began in December 2007, actually ended back in June 2009. This is an interesting assessment to say the least!

The recession, that has now supposedly ended, was the longest of any since World War II. Before it, the second worst came in the form of two16-month sessions in 1973-75 and 1981-82. The NBER said it chose the June 2009 date based on data including gross domestic product, employment and personal income. They also said that the recession’s official end some 15 months ago in no way means the economy is healthy and that overall conditions remain well below what would be deemed normal and adequate.

This latest news is likely to shock or puzzle the millions of Americans who continue in economic struggles, who are without employment, and for the scores of businesses that are going or have gone under in the past year or so.

If this latest assessment is accurate, it should begin to reveal itself in more tangible forms than what is seen outwardly at the moment. It would be a blessing for everyday families to begin to see the economic light at the end of the tunnel – even though that light is said to have been shining now for 14+ months. And hopefully the badly shattered consumer confidence will come to an end and help spark the hurting economy once again.

The direction of the U.S. economy is always of great concern to those who reside in this nation. A recession has a lingering and sometimes staggering impact on the middle and lower class. But even the recent andserious downturn rarely seemed to turn the hearts of the nation’s people and leaders towards God. Congress never mentioned any possible spiritual implications or considerations to the country whose currency still says,“In God We Trust”. Perhaps if the recession had been far worse, more would have invited God into the equation. One thing is certain. The situation was apparently not dire enough for most to seek solutions from above.

The NBER normally takes its time in declaring if and when a recession has started or ended since mountains of statistical data must be considered and reconsidered. But amazingly, the devastating and permanent spiritual recession that all mankind enters into at birth, can be fully and instantaneously recognized and repaired according to biblical truth. The new birth is something that ends man’s eternal spiritual crisis at the exact moment anyone expresses saving faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 16:31,Luke 23:43)

But for some that experience the miraculous new birth, there is sometimes an aspect that parallels the assessing and evaluating when an economic recession start and ends. It takes time and is difficult to see the proper spiritual results come to the surface.

The Bible stresses to new Christians the need to grow and mature in their faith. But the tendency for many is to remain spiritually immature, since growth requires effort and is not automatic. Peter addressed that issuein 2 Peter 3:18 when he wrote, “but grow in the grace and knowledge ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Both he and the Apostle Paul stressed to all new believers to move on from the baby stages of the faith as represented by the milk of God’s Word. Both wrote of a higher caliber of spiritual food – the biblical diet of "meat" that leads to spiritual growth, maturity, and completeness. (1 Peter 1:22, 1Corinthians 3:1)

America’s greatest need is not economic but spiritual. And if her people ever experience a serious revival, and would take seriously that motto seen on their money, they would soon find money would not be a problem. More importantly, economic success and security would no longer be their main priority! (1 Timothy 6:10)

The official recession may be over and perhaps the signs will soon become more evident. But at the same time, America’s economic woes remain even in a worse form. Some forget that she has borrowed herself into a staggering debt by owing trillions to foreign powers along with long-term interest rates beyond the minds of mere mortals. And this does not even consider the crumbling moral foundations of the culture in desperate need of repair and renewal. America is still in great trouble. But thereis still a great hope for rescue!

Hopefully the nation with the great Christian heritage will recognize that the lasting solutions to all problems, individual or corporate,begin with a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Hopefully a much-needed revival will soon begin and turn the most blessed nation on earth back to her former glory, sparked by those who already belong to God. And hopefully the often quoted words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 will come to mean far more than does the motto on America’s coinage at this hour.

But if this is to ever occur, the responsibility has been placed squarely at the feet of the church - those who know, obey, and honor the God of their salvation. Hopefully a time will soon come when Christians will not have to look back and long for "The Good Old Days". Instead there will come a time when they will be gazing back at the days when their crumbling country had a significant spiritual awakening and are enjoying the blessings of God promised through the words of the prophet.

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Bill Breckenridge