At my previous place of employment, I loved what I did. I felt like I really helped people. I was the voice of hope in some difficult times in their lives. And God was even changing the hearts of those around me and they were coming to have a personal relationship with Him. That is hard to do in Government (but God can do anything) :-). But then the tides changed. I saw fewer people coming to know Him and my joy dissipated. I started to have some real enemies. And I knew that it was time for me to seek another position. But I thought, ‘I’ll just wait on God to open a door for me.’
Does that mean that I quit my job, sat home, and watched soap operas while occasionally praying, “Okay, God, open a door for me”? No. I kept working, trying to still be a light in that dark place (as it got darker and darker). I kept praying for God to open the door that He wanted me to go through. And I kept telling myself, “I’ll just wait on God”, no matter how bad things got.
And things got bad. My job was threatened because I would not do things that were outside the law. I was mistreated and ridiculed. But, I kept telling myself, “I’ll just wait on God.”
Now, am I telling you that I was perfect and never lost hope? Of course not. There were times when I would cry all the way home. But I knew God was with me. I knew He was being glorified, even as I endured being mistreated. And I knew that He was going to take care of and protect me from real harm.
I knew this because scripture tells me that He will.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6.
And God did protect me.
Before long, a sister in the Lord offered me a position with the agency that she worked for. And it was not in Government :-). I did not, however, jump at the opportunity. After about 6 months, she moved forward with posting to fill the position. I kept praying for clear leading from the Lord. And, on the very last day, another friend who also worked for this agency reached out to me. This person said, “Please tell me you are going to apply for this position.” They had no idea that I had spoken with their co-worker. They had no idea that I was even considering a new position. I knew in my spirit that this was an urging from God.
I went home, prepared my resume, and prayed over it. And I said, “God, you know my heart. I want to go where you are leading. If this is of you and this is where you want me, then I pray that you swing wide the doors and let me go through. But if it is not, please don’t even let them offer me the position. Don’t let me go where you are not leading.”
God swung wide the doors and gave me that job. He rescued me from the other one and those who meant me harm. He protected me just like He had promised.
God didn’t keep me from having troubles. Jesus said we will have trials in this life.
He delivered me from my enemies. “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;” John 16:33.
Now, I am not telling you to change jobs or that God is going to provide a new one if you are unhappy. That is something that you have to pray about and trust God to lead you.
I am telling you that I may have been treated poorly. I may have had my job threatened. And I may have been very unhappy. But I DIDN’T just up and quit! I DIDN’T make a move until God opened that door and I knew it was HIS time for me to leave. Even when I saw an opportunity, I prayed that God would let me stay where I was, suffering whatever lay ahead, rather than be outside His will.
The moral of the story is, sometimes we just have to wait for God. We have to keep working, not just quit when things get difficult. It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about marriage, employment, or ministry. We have to keep working where He has us until He (God) opens another door and we know (in our spirit) it is okay to go through now.
We just have to keep working and wait on God. He will be faithful and present in the wait!
Father God, thank you that you never leave nor forsake us. Thank you that, in your strength, we can endure the trials of this life. And thank you that you bless us in the wait when we rely on your leading and timing, seeking your will instead of our own. We praise you that, even in those hard times, we can be a testimony to those around us. Holy Spirit, help us to be patient. Help us to seek the Father’s will. And help us to be a testimony and glory to our Father in Heaven. Jesus, thank you that you were the greatest example we will ever have or need when it comes to enduring suffering and seeking the Father’s will above our own. We love you and pray this in your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.
Are you struggling to endure hardship right now? Have you lost all hope? Do you perhaps think that what you are going through is God’s way of punishing you? I was once where you are. I am here to tell you that God loves you. He wants to free you from your hopelessness. He is not a God of punishment, but a God of love. God loves you and wants to have a loving and personal relationship with you. All that He requires is a deep desire on your part to have a relationship with Him and a sincere, heartfelt prayer.
We have a prayer like the one described outlined on our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Please go to that page and pray the prayer you find there (or one similar). God is waiting. He wants to provide all the love, hope, peace, and forgiveness you will ever need.
Once you have prayed that prayer, please reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.
Luv Ya!
