Burn Your Spiritual Calendars

Posted by chrisallen on Sep 10, 2010 in Daily Bread | 3 comments

Prayer is a pretty powerful thing. Just recently my dad lost his job as a high school teacher. I remember praying before hand that he would not lose his job, and that he would be one of the ones that would stay on. He had been on the staff at the high school I attended for as many years as I actually attended that high school (CHS). As has already been made clear, he did lose his position, and so my prayer changed. I prayed for him to find a job quickly, so that he would be able to start working before things got more financially tight. I prayed, and my family prayed. Friends of our family prayed for us, but still no job. In fact, he did not get a job until just this past week. Now, you may ask how God could let my family go for so long on only the income of an unemployment check, and why He didn’t answer my or my family prayers when it would’ve been better financially. However, if there is anything that I have learned from this experience, it is that God knows what he is doing. He has his own time frame, that does not revolve around our calendars, but his perfect will. An “unanswered” prayer isn’t that at all. It may seem like God isn’t hearing us, or that he isn’t answering us, but really, He always hears us when we cry up to Him. He cares about us, and therefore wants exactly what is best for us, like a specific job somewhere, even though it may takes months for that position to become available. If we seek after what it is he has for us, then we have comfort in the knowledge that he will take care of us. Now, mind you, waiting for God’s time line is not always easy, in fact, it seldom is, but God has also provided us with fellowship with our family in Christ. For instance, I found a lot of comfort from my small group, and from other close friends that prayed with me. God tells us He will take care of us, but we do need encouragement from other people who are strong and deeply rooted in their faith. This is also a requirement for us, as well. We should be encouraging those who are going through tough times. That is really a major point of Fuel and small groups: encouragement when our calendars are not exactly in line with God’s