By Nancy Virden (c)2024

While studying organizational management in college, I learned the world of economics has acknowledged a phenomenon dubbed “An Invisible Hand”. Named by economist Adam Smith in the 1700s, some do not believe an invisible hand exists or that it is helpful. Paul Samuelson was an American economist who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He said in 1948:

Even Adam Smith … was so thrilled by the recognition of an order in the economic system that he proclaimed the mystical principle of the “invisible hand”: that each individual in pursuing his own selfish good was led, as if by an invisible hand, to achieve the best good of all, so that any interference with free competition by government was almost certain to be injurious. This unguarded conclusion has done almost as much harm as good in the past century and a half, especially since too often it is all that some of our leading citizens remember, 30 years later, of their college course in economics.

Retrieved from Wilipedia at  https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Invisible_hand&oldid=1233104829 on August 18, 2024

Uh Oh, guilty. This is almost all I remember from my economics class. Contrasting theories swarm the idea of an invisible hand. Here is a short and simple explanation https://youtu.be/-CqMMxsN_7c if you are interested.

The purpose of today’s blog, however, is to point out The Invisible Hand that is active in all our lives, throughout our lives. We may set out to accomplish something only for our selfish desires, and God (whose hand is invisible) works things out for His ultimate purpose and plan which is the best for all. We do not often acknowledge God’s role in the functioning of the world, and instead blame or disregard Him altogether. Nevertheless:

Where did evil come from if there was never any good?

How do we explain broken and healed people desiring to help others in similar circumstances?

Why is there any sense of right and wrong?

Good is from God who is not playing games with us. We can choose to place our faith in Him or not. Free choice. We can hurt and be hurt by others around us, but we are never without hope because God has repeatedly shown He is on the side of those who trust Him.

The musician and lyricist King David (circa 1000 BC) sang, “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34- the entire song can be found here )

If, and it is a big if, economies just happen to run on the whims of people who think only of themselves, how much more can we place our faith in the One who “made the world and everything in it… ” for our good? (See Today’s Helpful Word below).

-COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

Acts 17:24-27

[He] is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

If you are feeling suicidal, or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988;

If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room;

In the EU call 112;

For international emergency numbers, go here. For a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.

Hope and help are yours!

Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy Virden is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair. NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional, and speaks only from personal experience and observations. This website is never intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.

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