Wednesday, March 14, 2012

God Offers Help, Hope

He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. -- Psalm 121:3

Sometimes I am so afraid. Am I heading in the right direction? Am I doing what God has called me to do? Am I missing any of the details I’m supposed to see? And how will I ever balance everything I must do?

God has it. He really does. In His own time, in His own way, God has a plan for all of us. Sometimes I can almost hear Him telling me to be patient, to give it time, to give Him time.

A dear friend was in despair a few months ago. She was desperate for a job. She finally received a job offer, which she accepted. It wasn’t what she wanted but, well, it was at least a job in her field.

While she was grateful for the job, all her concerns proved to be true. Long, unpredictable hours and weekend paperwork really cut into her family time. She and her husband have two young children who don‘t understand why their mom has work so much. She was stressed and upset, unsure of what to do.

So she turned to God. Asking for guidance. Begging for help. And she got it. Last week she received two wonderful job offers from places that hadn’t even responded to her resume before. Now she’s trying to determine which job God wants her to take and praising Him for answering her heartfelt prayers.

God doesn’t always do things the way we’d planned. But it’s funny how that works. Working in a horrible situation just makes us appreciate the blessings from God that much more. How can we ever really appreciate the good without knowing how bad things can really get?

That’s what scares me so much sometimes. I know how bad things can get. I know how easily I can head down the wrong road without even trying. Indeed, it’s easy to take a wrong turn even while I’m trying so hard to follow God’s will for my life.

So I keep praying and listening and trying to do what He wants. At times I ask for a sign, as childish as that seems. I just want to know, need to know, that I’m headed in the right direction and that He’s still right there beside me.

Because I know I’ll be alright if He’s there with me. The skies might not always be sunny. The day might turn into dark storms. But with God as my rock and my anchor, I’ll survive the tumult, with a stronger, deeper faith than before.