Bank of America has agreed to buy troubled loan giant Countryside Financial, the nation’s largest mortgage lender. But how will this affect middle class Americans? And what can the middle class do to survive the ongoing real estate slump and mortgage crunch?

We’ll be looking at the issue of how to survive a financial crisis in an upcoming print edition of The Voice magazine. In the meantime, here are some insights from husband-and-wife team Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of “Middle Class Lifeboat” (Thomas Nelson Publishing, Jan. 2008).

Said Paul Edwards, “The housing crunch is affecting so many middle class people and it’s going to continue for the next several years. That means it’s time for us to think about what is most important to us and what are our options, both lifestyle and career, including being willing to consider possibilities we’ve not thought about before.”

Sarah Edwards elaborates on possible alternative considerations, adding, “With the market being where it is, we may not be able to sell our homes at a price we want to. So we might instead choose to move to a retreat-like, rural area place in a beautiful part of the country that is much more affordable as a way to not only survive but actually thrive.”

Instead of worrying about what’s going to happen to us, they assert, we need to start thinking about the choices we have. We might for example, choose to move to a retreat-like, rural area in a beautiful, but more affordable part of the country as one of many ways for us to not only survive but actually thrive.”

Of course, in God’s economy things work differently. Yes, we need to consider how we are living and how we might get our houses in order. But we also need to pray for God’s wisdom instead of running from where we are. God is able to make your seed prosper even in a land of famine. Let’s not be too quick to run to Egypt.

Stay tuned for more on this topic in upcoming issues of The Voice magazine. In the meantime, let us know what God is saying about the U.S. economy and strategies He is giving you for prospering despite the downturn. (No curses and judgment prophecies, please.)