Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.... Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 & 17-19

Financial hardship can be a painful and stressful time in any person's life. But it can also be a valuable time of increased wisdom, spiritual growth and an elevated way of thinking. Prayer can be something that we turn to in the fear or panic that often comes with financial pressure. This is a good thing! To realize the finite nature of physical provision and, instead, turn our attention to the provision of God, is one of the greatest realizations that can happen in our lives. Oftentimes, we view money incorrectly. It is this skewed view of money that leads us into many traps and painful snares. It is so incredibly important that our joy, peace, hope, and security are not found or wrapped up in the wealth of this world. Think about this for your own life: can you still have joy even in the midst of financial struggle? Can you still have a mind at peace even with bill collectors calling? Can you still have security and comfort even when your stock portfolio is plummeting or your savings account is quickly dwindling? What do our answers to these questions tell us about our own financial perspective?

The lesson here is that God, and God alone is the source of true joy, peace, hope, and security. Every other source is false and a counterfeit to what God has for us. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with money or worldly possessions in and of themselves, but the love and pursuit of these things over and above the love and pursuit of God is what leads us on a path towards destruction. The love of money is simply the act of thinking that money can do for you what only God can do. If we think this, then we've already fallen into a trap that we may not even be aware of or able to escape from. We may have unknowingly wandered away from the truth and soon, if we’re not corrected, we may be pierced with many griefs. We shouldn't think of this season of financial struggle as a curse or a horrible thing to be rescued from, instead, we should view it as an opportunity to get our hearts, minds and priorities back in order. We should use this time to get back on the right path. God hasn't forgotten us. God loves us and will provide for us. However, if we are willing to listen and learn,  God will use whatever this world throws at us for our own good. The bottom line is this, do not let this opportunity go to waste. Use this season as a time to grow in wisdom and closeness to God.