When the Cost Comes Home

Oil companies reported huge profits this week. ExxonMobil earned $15.4 billion for the quarter, more than double last year, Shell nearly doubled to $10.8 billion, and Chevron's earnings rose 180% to $9.9 billion. The war in Iran has disrupted the global oil supply, and gasoline now costs about $1.20 more per gallon than a year ago, while diesel sits near a record high (NPR).

One economist described it as a situation where "the worst of times ends up being the best of times." For some, that's true. For many families, these are simply the worst of times. People still have to drive to work, heat their homes, and run their farms, and every fill-up and every heating bill takes a bigger bite.

I'm not writing to point fingers. I'm writing because a headline about billions can make us forget the single mom watching the gas pump, the retired couple turning the thermostat down, and the farmer running a tractor on diesel. God never forgets them. And with winter on its way, He often answers their prayers through neighbors who notice.

Lord, you see every family stretched thin by rising costs. Provide for those who are worried about how to stay warm and get where they need to go this winter. Bring peace to the places torn by war. Keep our hearts from envy and from fear, and make us generous with whatever you have placed in our hands. Amen.

One thing to do: Ask your church or a local community action agency whether they have a heating assistance fund, and give what you can. Or quietly cover a tank of gas or a utility bill for someone you know is struggling.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." (Proverbs 3:27, ESV)

Source: NPR