Welcome to Testimonial Tuesday where we share stories of answered prayer .... Your stories are important; and,
big or small,
We want to hear them all.
Make that, we NEED to hear them all.
Most of the time when we testify, we are telling of times God answered our prayers with a "yes." But there are two other answers He gives sometimes, and those are "no," and "wait."
Sometimes a "no," means a better thing is coming. I had just such an experience about 10 years ago.
Things were looking pretty bleak at my first church and it became apparent the church could not afford to keep me as a full-time employee anymore.
I was fed up with some of the things that had happened and felt it was time to go get a secular job once more. I wanted a job with benefits! I needed job security, insurance and retirement and I told myself that working for a corporation, hospital or university would be the way to get those things.
I prayed and asked God for success and then I sent out a ton of resumes and applied everywhere that met my criteria for a perfect job. I worked hard at applying of jobs but a month later, I had nothing to show for it but one interview that did not go well.
I was beginning to panic and prayed harder. After all, God knew how much my family needed my income.
Desperate for work, I even looked in the little small weekly newspaper that never seemed to have any job listings other than nursing home aide positions. That particular day, there was an ad for a church secretary. Even though I wanted a secular job, I sent in a resume and ending up getting the job the very next day.
I found out later the day I saw the ad was the last day it was going to be in the paper. If the church had not found someone, they were going to try using an employment agency.
I thought I wanted a secular job but ten years later I can tell you it was sure a blessing that I didn't. My church has been a huge blessing to me, and I can't imagine doing anything other than being a ministry assistant.
God said no to a secular job but yes to something better - full time ministry.
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Now it's your turn. What has God done for you lately?
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This was good to read, Jarralea!
ReplyDeleteIt is so awesome to look back on what we feel as failure and see God moving for us! He led you to the perfect job! Exciting!!
ReplyDeleteoh what a wonderful testimony! sometimes our tough times (like looking for a certain job to no avail) is what shapes our character as well as our spiritual development. God is soooo good!! Thanking Him for your perfect job!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a blogger,I'm Jerralea's hubby. I do have a testimony though
ReplyDeleteA couple months ago Me Jerrlea and my 2 daughters, one with twins went to St Louis Mo about 2 hrs from home,on the way up there the engine light came on, we stopped and checked the oil, it was about a quart low, we went on to the mall done some shopping and met my son-in-laws Dad and g/f at the mall, they drove about 2 hrs from where they live to see the twins for the first time.
we spent bout an hr with them at the mall, then headed back home, we were looking for an off ramp to stop and get a Quart of oil. One of my daughters was driving, it had been raining and there was some black ice, she was going a little to fast, and came up on the off ramp to fast, we started down the ramp and the road being icy missed the ramp and went down across the other side of the interstate, I could just see us being stuck in the mud and be stranded there, instead she was able to drive right through the mud and came up on the shoulder of the interstate. we could have very easily turned the van over and been seriously hurt, while that was going on Jerralea just said the word Jesus, and we were all safe and unharmed. It don't take a long drawn out prayer, sometimes you only have time to say Jesus.