In the life of faith, there come times when one suddenly faces a state of spiritual bankruptcy.
Only a moment ago, I may have seemed to live by faith—comforting others, overcoming trials, and trusting God in all things. Yet suddenly, my soul and body grow weak and powerless, and I begin to question whether I am truly a Christian at all.

Even though I have witnessed God’s miracles—not only as they appeared to ancient Israel, but also within the twists and turns of my own life—I sometimes find myself crying out in confusion, “God, where are You?”

I, too, have wandered through such seasons of spiritual bankruptcy.
Whenever this happens, I know that the focus of my soul has drifted away from God toward something else—some distraction or self-centered desire—and soon I am sinking into the mire of stagnation. The symptoms are always the same: gratitude and praise vanish from my lips; discontent begins to grow within me; courage and confidence fade. I find myself imprisoned by needless anxiety, weighed down by worries, gasping for freedom that never seems to come.

When a believer reaches such a point—when one can do nothing but acknowledge spiritual bankruptcy—it is like a farmer standing before a wide, fertile field yet giving up the will to farm. Unless he plows the soil, sows the seed, waters it with diligence, and tends it in its season, the harvest will never come. The neglected ground soon becomes entangled with thorns and weeds until the very roots of corruption claim the soil as their own.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once burned with holy zeal for God and sailed to the colony of Georgia as a missionary. Yet after two years, he failed and returned to England, overwhelmed by despair. In the depth of his spiritual collapse, he confessed to a friend that he could no longer preach. But his friend urged him, saying, “Preach faith until you have faith.”

Later, while listening to the preface of the Epistle to the Romans at Aldersgate, Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed.” There he discovered anew the means of grace—divine instruments by which every believer may cultivate the rich soil of the spirit and bear abundant fruit in the life of faith.

Among those means of grace were prayer, study of Scripture, fasting, fellowship with other believers, participation in public worship, and communion at the Lord’s Table. Through these practices, Wesley experienced anew how God continues to nurture and care for our souls.

There are countless forces today that wound the soul and draw us into spiritual paralysis.
We still remember the tragedy of TWA Flight 800, destroyed without known cause, leaving more than two hundred thirty souls scattered in the sky—a shocking reminder of human frailty and confusion.

And yet—even amid such despair—God places the instruments of grace into the hands of those who are falling into spiritual bankruptcy, both individuals and nations alike. He urges us to use them now more urgently than ever.

John Bunyan once said, “A healthy faith keeps hope from ever growing sick.”
As long as we hold onto faith and hope, there is no reason for spiritual bankruptcy.

To declare spiritual bankruptcy is nothing less than to declare death—both personal and national.
Two thousand years ago, when the Lord was tested in the wilderness, He proclaimed with unwavering strength:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

That same Word still speaks to our hearts today, more urgently and tenderly than ever before.