It has been said about most investments that the time to buy is when everyone is selling, and the time to sell is when everyone is buying. The idea is that when most people believe an investment is worthwhile, the market for that investment has peaked. At the same time, when most people think an investment is useless, it is likely to have hit its bottom.

While this theory sounds simple and easy to follow, it takes tremendous courage to put it into practice. It is difficult to believe that something everyone wants will soon be unpopular; and it is difficult to spend money on something no one else seems to believe has any value.

In today's second reading, Paul tells the church at Philippi: "I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance." Paul has experienced peaks and valleys in his own material situation. "I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry," he continues, "of living in abundance and of being in need. I can do all things in him who strengthens me."

Just as it is hard to invest in things that no one wants, it can also be difficult to believe that we can be prosperous and comfortable when we are in desperate need. It is also difficult, when we have what we need, to think that someday we might not. We are rarely able to see the future, or to plan for it.

Paul suggests that the ups and downs of economic cycles in our society and in our personal lives need not determine our happiness and contentment. He has learned, he tells us, that he can rely on the strength of God and has found that to be a more reliable source of security than his bank account.

We are experiencing a time of extreme economic uncertainty in our nation and in the world. Banks and financial institutions that have prospered for decades have disappeared nearly overnight. Markets tumble and soar. Homes, jobs and savings have been lost.

Is it really possible to find contentment and peace in the midst of this kind of insecurity? Paul tells us that it is. The strength of God is greater than the strength of Wall Street and the Federal Reserve. The answer to need may not be wealth. The answer to need may be that we are able to find peace and joy in the midst of the situation, rather than be lifted out of the situation.

I am not very good at being content. Nor am I good at believing that things will turn around. I have never bought anything at its bottom and prospered later, nor have I sold something at its peak and enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing its value decline later.

I have, however, been through situations I never thought I could bear - broken relationships, illness and terrible sorrow. While I can't claim to know the secret to enduring such things, I have found the presence of God to be more soothing than circumstantial change. I'm not sure I can do "all things in him who strengthens me," but I can do more than I thought I could. I only need to remember, in abundance and in need, where to turn for true security and contentment.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa. He may be reached at bptidings@yahoo.com.