Читать книгу Fully Persuaded Faith - Marilynn James - Страница 5

CHAPTER TWO

The Dream

I had a dream in the summer of 2002. The dream gave a panoramic view of many employees listening attentively about the specifics of their job loss in a “big auditorium” meeting place. My husband and I were perplexed with the content of the dream, since his bank did not have an extremely large meeting room as reflected in the dream. We began to pray for employees to find other jobs and that there would not be any workplace violence.

Years passed. My husband and the other associates received an email advising them to go to a large local hotel for a meeting in November 2005. No further details were given.

We all know that there is no comparable feeling to being told that one will lose one’s job. Yet, my husband heard this information in a very large meeting in November 2005 with other bank associates.

During the meeting, specifics regarding the future were scant. Employees only knew that their jobs were being off shored to India.

The initial reaction was shock. Then, anger surged. Then, disbelief crept in…computer programming jobs were actually being off-shored.

As mortal men, we may unknowingly put our trust in the security of a particular profession. We really need to have our trust firmly rooted in God. These situations demonstrate where our hope and trust lie.

My husband was called to another corporate meeting on February 28, 2006. He was given an “off payroll date” of July 31, 2006. He looked on the job posting boards for another job. None was available to match his skills at that time.

Since my husband had a financial planning gift and a minor in Accounting, he interviewed with a financial planning group twice. He did all of the door-to-door interviews required. The new company promised to place him in an office in our local village with a decreasing salary, since the job would ultimately become fully commission based.

My husband knew that he had a job; it was estimated that he would need 1.5 to 2 years to build an established customer base. Yet, he kept looking on the bank’s job posting board.

In late June 2006, a job surfaced in the Community Reinvestment Department. We tweaked his resume for submission for the position. He did not hear anything from the company recruiters for weeks. Of course, the inner voice hints a doubtful thought, “maybe they won’t call”, as other programmers had experienced after submission for other positions.

As Christians, this was the time to be bold and declare that God’s provision for us was just like His provision of a ram in the thicket for Abraham, Genesis 22:13-14. We simply held faith that God would do a divine connection. Meanwhile, my husband and three others on his team got an extension until October 31, 2006.

My husband did hear on July 28, 2006! Amazingly, his current boss was packing to leave for the July 31st, 2006 separation date. Company policy required that the manager approve any interviewing. God left his boss in place to confirm my husband’s privilege of interviewing!

Prayer Jewels:

1 Practice believing God!Approval given: interview, here we come. My husband spoke with the hiring manager on August 1, 2006; she was going on vacation. The Human Resource liaison was also going on vacation for a few days.It is the hardest thing to wait for an answer. Time moves like a turtle in these instances. The spirit of anxiousness gets a bat out to whip us.As a Proverbs 31 wife, I could feel my husband wanting an answer regarding the outcome of the interview. About a week and a half into the waiting period, I gave him a reading about waiting from the Couples’ Bible about waiting. He read it and told me later that this information gave him great calm.Finally, two weeks later the hiring manager returned. There was more delay regarding transferring intra-divisionally. He heard that discussions were in progress. Waiting is a virtue!On August 29, 2006, my husband got the approval for the new job inside the bank in the Community Redevelopment Department! He began planning his departure from IT—Programming.My husband did not know that a hiring/transferring freeze loomed ahead on September, 1 2006. My husband contemplated starting the new job in October. He later learned that would possibly mean no raise in 2007. He nixed that choice.Then, he thought about postponing his acceptance until September 8, 2006. That choice would have meant that the hiring freeze was in effect. God allowed Human Resources to advise him about the ramifications of all his thoughts regarding his transition. He accepted the job before September 1, 2006 and started a new career! Praise God!The answer was delayed but not denied.

2 Stay prayerful; do not allow the devil or other well-meaning people to get you distracted off of your desired prayer outcome.

3 Keep asking for God’s divine wisdom and divine connections, so everything works to your favor.

4 Do not absorb other co-workers’ words that “Human Resources will not call and interact with you”. My husband affirmed to several co-workers throughout the waiting time that God would answer him and give him favor for the job. We always use St. Luke 2:52 to confirm that we have “favor with God and man”.

5 “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide (Jehovah Jireh): as it is said, In the mountain of the LORD it shall be seen,” Genesis 22:13-14.

During his farewell luncheon with fifteen (15) IT (computer) co-workers, expressed amazement that the transition even occurred and that the rapidity of the events. Many of them submitted resumes for posted jobs, yet they never got any calls from Human Resources.

His team marveled at his good fortune. My husband used the opportunity to witness about God’s great faithfulness! We know that they will never forget!

During unsettled times, hearts are more open to the Word of truth. Use these opportunities to discuss the plan and purpose of God for all of our lives with unbelievers.