Should you invest?

Should you risk investing or wait for a “lucky break” that could make you rich overnight? Solomon answers, “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return” (v. 1 NIV). That means invest prayerfully and wisely and be patient because it may take many days before you’ll get a return. The get-rich-quick mentality isn’t scriptural. “Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land” (v. 2 NIV). So invest, but diversify; allow for market fluctuations. This is a play-it-wise approach, not a play-it-safe one. Be faith driven instead of fear driven. Fear allows the unpredictable to determine your actions. Godly wisdom, plus faith, is the key to investing. Waiting for “the ideal time” will keep you paralyzed. Success isn’t in the absence of challenges, it’s having the wisdom to manage them and keep moving forward. The Bible says, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” If you let the odds immobilize you, you’ll never sow—which means you’ll never reap. The bottom line is this: life is full of unknowns, and just “as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb…you cannot understand the work of God” (v. 5 NIV). You don’t have to know it all or be able to predict the outcome. Just seek God, then act on the wisdom He gives you (see James 1:5). You don’t have to understand how He’s going to work on your behalf—you only need to believe He will!