With the economy being as difficult as it is today, it is not a stretch to see the stress in the faces of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As pressures mount from job stress, the concerns of a weakened economy that shows no signs of recovery have begun to take their toll in the church. Men and women are feeling the pressures of possible job loss, and it is creating an increasingly difficult environment for us to show love as Christian brothers and sisters.
I would like to take an opportunity to offer encouragement to those who are in this position.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?”
God is good. If God is good, then He can be counted on to provide the needs that you have and that which will keep you going for His mission and purpose. It is not you providing your paycheck through your job, it is God providing you your means to keep yourself up.
I have been on the bad end of unemployment, I was there for six months. It was really difficult, but through it all, I saw God provide for me and my family of six in ways that I never could have imagined. I could not have been more amazed by the timing of His providence in those times of need, and I actually treasure some of those moments in that I was able to see Him work.
It is difficult to give encouraging words to those in this situation. There is nothing that I can say other than God is the provider of your sustenance and protection. Pray to God, ask for His peace, grace, and providence. Seek His face, His love, and His heart, and knock on the door to His will. You may see that His purpose for you far outweighs the previously lofty purpose you had for yourself.
Musings 