Walk it Out

Psalm 37:25 (KJV)
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread"

Walk it Out

This week, I wanted to write about love in honor of Valentine’s Day, however, the spirit commissioned something else.

I was standing in the mirror the other day and thinking about my plight to find a teaching job in the midst of budget cuts and workforce reductions. As I washed my face, I replayed CNN reports in my mind before a still small voice said, “This is the time that the people of God will have to activate their faith.” There is no need to focus on all that we lack. This week, God said we are just gonna have to walk it out. Walk out, that is, our faith. It is not that hard when there is money in the bank, you are happily married, you are in good health, and there are few worries. But how much faith exists when you get an e-mail, such as the one below I received on December 16:

“Due to the very uncertain economic circumstances facing higher education currently, ------ has decided to temporarily hold off on all its full-time faculty searches for this year. As you know, many institutions have placed hiring freezes or other similar limitations on new faculty lines for the upcoming year due to anticipated drops in enrollment and/or endowment revenues…
We will retain your application as part of the candidate pool. I will provide you an update on the status of this search as soon as we are able to make a judgment as to whether it will continue this year.”

Where that “Now faith… (Hebrew 11) now?

What do you do when you receive a message like that? What do you do when there is a foreclosure note on your door? What do you do when the diagnosis is incurable? What do you do when your bank account is negative? What do you do when those you depend on cannot be found? What do you do?

You must activate your faith.

Oh, I love the old hymn, “I Will Trust in the Lord.” We sing it with zeal in our homes and places of worship, but now it is time to live it. This semester, my campus group is reading a book by Philip Yancey titled, “Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church.” This week, we read the chapter about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and how his faith in God was strengthened and his assignment confirmed after receiving one of his first death threats. Yancey discusses this “hinge moment in his life” and shares Dr. King’s account of realizing that his religion and his God had to become real.

While our hinge moments may differ, each of us, like King, must begin to trust God like never before. Although President Obama is working diligently to activate a stimulus plan, it may take time before things get back to what we consider normal or favorable. Until that time, we have to trust God even when we cannot trace him.

What comforts me during this time of uncertainty is that I’ve seen God work time after time. I’ve seen him work when my tuition was due. I’ve seen him work when the rent was due. I’ve seen him work when my car was in the shop and the bill was more than what was in my possession. I’ve seen him work when the doctor had no answers. I’ve seen him work when I had $7 in my account and I resigned from my job to return to school. Time after time after time, I’ve seen God work. Who couldn’t walk it out when you have seen him work it out? Beloved, do not be weary, do not be dismayed, and do not look at our current afflictions as the end of the world. There is no need to throw in the towel now. Walk it out!

Possibly, this is the time for your faith to be built up. Yes, the job search may be frustrating and I may feel discouraged some days. I may even have a brief pity party, yet at the end of the day when all of the e-mails are received and sent, I know that God knows what I have need of.

Profess today: “God I trust you. I believe that all things are working together for my good (Romans 8:28). I am going to walk it out because I know you are walking every step of the way with me.

Continue to walk in your blessings!
ADS

P.S. Enjoy your week and don't forget to send a card or gift to the one you love. If you won't be on the receiving end of any treats on Saturday, rest assured that Jesus loves you and so do I!

This week's photo was taken on Sat., Feb. 7 at a Red and White Ball held by my sorority sisters in another part of Iowa. I enjoyed the fellowship!