My company called and laid me off after five years so naturally I thought my world was coming to an end. I had just moved from California to Arizona under Gods direction so I was very surprised to say the least. I was making Ca wages in Arizona so I thought how this could ever work out for me. I was to receive a severance package and vacation time so I knew I could make it one month. Then the company called and withdrew the severance package and that defiantly shortened my time.
I started applying for everything I could find with no response. It definitely seemed like panic time. I turned to God for help like I always do and it seemed as if he was not listening to me this time. Of course he was it was me not listening to him. I started fasting and lots of praying and nothing no answer I could hear.
After the first month of being off work was coming to an end my water heater broke and flooded the utility room. I have a family of six so no hot water is a problem so I asked God what to do. This time I heard an answer very clear he told me to remodel the utility room. Remodel the utility room are you crazy don’t you know I am out of work I said! I looked at what little money we had left and thought to myself I had better do as he says. So reluctantly I went to Lowe’s and bought everything I needed to remodel the utility room. I thought well when I have to sell my house at least the utility room is done.
Two days tell we have to pay mortgage 31.00 in the bank and no options. I told God I have been faithful I tithe I do what you tell me so I am standing on your promises oh God this is your problem. The mail came that day and there in the mail was a check from an old retirement plan my wife had put in to cash out. It covered everything and then some wow! You are good God.
The next month I didn’t panic as much. I was still applying for everything I could find with but with no response. Month 2 once again came to an end with only 17.48 in the bank and no prospect of money. God once again provided with money in the mail that paid everything and then some.
Month three however was very different. I was still applying for everything with no response. My wife’s brother had died suddenly so we had to go back to California (an added expense). We were experiencing vehicle problems so driving home was problematic at best. God provide a rental car through our church and money for the trip. One week before we were to go my elderly neighbor came over and asked me if I would clean up her yard. She had trash and things all over the place. I thought no I don’t want to do that but I figured it would be the Christian thing to do. As I started the work she said I should look into selling the steal from her property I might make enough money to pay for the gas. Pay for the gas wow it not only paid for the gas it made mortgage that month and gave me the money I needed to go to California.
One day before we left I got a call from my pastor telling me to call someone name Carol about a job. I called her and long story short she hired me that day and I started back to work the day after we came home from California. I make the same amount of money I did with the old job and not only that but I never even applied for this position it literally came from God out of nowhere. GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!
David B, Az
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Something that has always alluded me is how Christians make such bizarre connections with things in their life and spirituality. I would see such a strong connection to be a hindering in my life. I couldn’t imagine thinking all the time “What does God want me to do now?”
Does he only talk to Christians? Are Christians the only ones who listen? I would think that if he has given humanity the gift of free will that we live with every day, then asking for guidance seems belittling to his gift. Receiving his help without requesting, leads me to believe that there was never any real “free will” to begin with. If he has a plan for us, then why even the need for free will?
Perhaps you should concentrate more on looking toward the good of humanity, (for it was someone that put their trust that you would be a good choice for the position without so much as an interview) instead of God.
It can seem confusing Jeremy. The best way I can try to explain it for you is to put your questions in the context of you and your dad, and I assume you had a good dad. If your dad was abusive, absent, or neglectful in some way then this example does NOT apply, because God is not like that.
So, assuming you had a present, loving dad who took good care of you, then you can rephrase your first question to something more like “what would my dad do in this situation?” as opposed to what does God want me to do now.
God talks to everyone. Whether or not anyone listens to him is up to them, even Christians don’t always listen to him. The reason it would seem like he only talks to Christians is because once someone actually tunes in and hears him, they typically choose to follow him, or become Christians.
The fact that we get to choose to listen to him or not, shows that we have free will. Asking him for guidance is no different than you calling your dad, telling him what’s going on and asking him what he thinks. You can ask him what he thinks you should do, but ultimately whether you do what he says or not is up to you.
If your dad’s advice or guidance has proven to be good in the past, even if it sounded crazy at first, you are more likely to do what he says, because you know you can trust him. Following your dad’s advice honors him, because it shows you trust him. In this context, can you see how asking for his input and choosing to follow it by your own free will, is not belittling his gift, but actually honoring it?
As a child, if you fell off your bike and broke your arm, would your dad come take you to the doctor, or would he stand back and just watch until you asked him to take you to the doctor? There is no difference between that and God helping us without being asked. No matter what your age, if you fell off a bike and broke your arm, your dad would come to your aid, without being asked.
However, if you just fell off your bike, no broken bones or other obvious major damage, your age or maturity level would factor in as to whether or not your dad came to help, or waited to see how you would react. If you were 5 he’d come running. If you were 10 he’d watch and ask if you were alright. If you were 15 he’d probably tease you and ask if you knew how to ride that bike, but then encourage you to get back out there and keep working on those tricks you were doing.
Did your dad ever just take you for an ice cream cone (or just randomly give a gift of some kind), for seemingly no reason? Maybe you had been helping him with some work and you stopped at the store for glue and at the checkout he grabbed a candy bar for himself and told you to pick what you want. You didn’t ask, it was his idea. Why did he do that? Because he loved you and wanted to do something for you. God will also give gifts sometimes, just because he loves you.
When you see a Christian talking to God, asking for help, asking for guidance, thanking him for what he did, you’re witnessing a child with his father. Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you’re done growing or maturing.
No one has all the answers, but hopefully this helps you understand the connection between God and man a little better.