The End or The Beginning

Today was my last day at the temp job. It’s actually the same place I’ve worked for six years, but has become a temp job as Reduction in Force affected our business. In the meantime, nothing else has surfaced for me – no interviews, no replies to emails or voice-mails, no answers to prayer.

So this morning, I spent time just praising God for the past six years. I thought of all the people I have met, either in person or over the phone lines, and thanked God for putting them in my life. They have been examples of Christian faith and integrity in the workplace. I thanked God for all the things I have learned, either spiritually or on-the-job training. My computer skills are more honed than before, and I can do many things on the internet that I could not do in the last job.

But still, it is a bittersweet time. I wanted to “Go out in joy and be led forth with peace (Isa. 55:12); however, my emotions were more attuned to self-pity and doubt rather than joy and peace. I almost drove to Dairy Queen to drown my sorrows in a strawberry shake, but the Holy Spirit reminded me that He is my comfort – not ice cream.

For today, I’m okay. The tough time will come next week, after the 4th of July holiday, when people all over the city return to work and I don’t. Maybe that’s when I’ll find out what my faith is really built on – the security of a job or the unseen path of faithfulness.

Suddenly ...

Last weekend, my son and I traveled to Oklahoma for a family wedding. I was excited about seeing everyone, but also dreaded having to answer the question I knew would come, “Do you have a job yet?”

“No. Nothing yet.”

Before I finished packing for the trip, God sent me to Isaiah 48. I had read that chapter many times before, but this time – God had a special message. Verse 3, “I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.”

Suddenly he acted, and they came to pass. Although it has now been six months of searching for the job, that time period means nothing to God. He can act in the sphere of “suddenly.” One day I will wake up, and God will know it is the day. He will act. He will move the mountain. He will remove the fog and make it known. The job will come to pass. Suddenly.

Faithfulness in Advance

This morning, the Lord took me to Isaiah 41:10. This verse has been a favorite ever since I served as a missionary in Honduras. Again, those sweet words brought comfort: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

When I went to the office, I was told that my temp job will end June 30th. Unless something happens in the next two weeks, there will be no income after June – except for the fact that God is faithful. He has told me, in advance, not to fear. He has promised to be with me. He has told me to not be dismayed – upset, frustrated, discouraged – because he indeed is my God. He has promised to strengthen me and help me. And this morning, he upheld me with his powerful and loving right hand.

I don’t know what is going to happen. I only know that since God knows what I need in advance, then he is perfectly capable of helping me today and beyond June 30th.

God's Timing with Noah

This morning, I read through Genesis 8 and discovered a nugget of truth about Noah. He and his family, along with the animals, had been in the ark for one year and 10 days when God finally said, “Step out of the Ark.”

It wasn’t written as approximately one year or “Some time passed.” It was written in the Amplified Bible as one year and 10 days.

If Noah had stepped out of the ark too soon, the ground would have been too wet and the vegetation wouldn’t have been mature enough to feed the animals. If he had waited too long, their food and water supplies inside the ark would have been depleted. God knew the exact day that Noah was to step out of the ark. Noah waited, listened for God’s instruction and then obeyed.

In my situation, God knows the exact day that I will hear about a new job. It won’t be one day early or one day late. Hopefully, it won’t be one year and 10 days, but it will be the exact day that God already knows. What I need to do is wait, listen and obey.

Then I’ll step out of this particular ark and into the blessing.

The Power of the Word

Ephesians 6 teaches us about the power of the Bible, that it is our Sword of the Spirit and we need to know how to use it. Last night, I had an experience that underlined the truth of God’s powerful Word.

I was asleep when a spirit of fear attacked me. It tried to smother me with anxiety about the job search. So I did the only thing possible – I cried out to God and spoke the power of his word. I repeated Proverbs 3:5-6 until the spirit left: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

That is not the passage I usually speak to fight against fear, but those were the words that came to my lips in the darkness of the night. After a few minutes, the spirit left. But about an hour later, it returned – same spirit, same fear.

So I repeated the exact same verse, and the spirit left. I slept soundly the rest of the night and woke with a sense of peace and joy.

The word of God is powerful, able to defeat strongholds and anything that comes against us. Even when the theme of the verse isn’t exactly appropriate for the moment, God’s word is still powerful. Even when we’re half-groggy with sleep, God’s word dispels the fear. His word within us is greater than anything the enemy can throw at us.

I’m so grateful for the power of God’s Word.