Saturday, August 22, 2015

Saturday, August 22, 2015

[by Keesha Sullivan]

My mind raced with ideas after I read the letter I had received from central office when I was teaching in New Jersey. The letter clearly stated that due to budget restrictions every non-tenured teacher was going to be laid off. Frantic and slightly bewildered, I hopped on the internet and began looking for teaching jobs over the next three hours. There were no job openings anywhere near where we lived in New Jersey. There weren't even any job openings in Connecticut where I had formerly worked. As I drove home, panic began to set in. I proceeded to have a meltdown with Kenny later that evening and tried to convince him that we were going to be homeless.

Kenny looked me in the eyes and told me that I needed to trust pray and God. He explained that we just needed to wait on the Lord, and He would open up something. I felt slightly sheepish as I saw the peace he possessed as he spoke with me. My spirit was yelling, "Amen! You're right!" while my flesh was screaming, "Kenny's lost his mind. You need to keep searching." The spirit won the battle, thankfully. 

As I reflect on the scripture reading from today, one verse stands out in particular. The verse came from Psalms 37: 34. It says, "Wait passionately for God, don't leave the path…" I have been reading a book by Bill Johnson entitled "Hosting the Presence." Johnson has  a different perspective on waiting. He believes that in order to be waiting one has to be active.  She, or he, has to actively trust God, actively laying down any thoughts or commentary that would say don't trust. Waiting requires believing and knowing that our Savior is coming to our rescue. 

For so long, I had thought that waiting was passive. I didn't think that it required anything from me. This thinking was not only wrong, but it put me in a place of anxiety. Five years ago, when Kenny told me to wait on the Lord, he was right. I needed to trust that God was going to act on my behalf. I needed to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). I needed to believe and know that God was coming to the rescue. Before Kenny or I received our final termination letters at the end of the year, God set us up with jobs and a plan for the future. We weren't going to be homeless after all. 

Lord, please help us to actively wait for you. Help us to place all of our trust, belief, and hope in You.  Thank You so much for being such a wonderful, heavenly Father. You are a good Father, and You will always help us in our time of need. Please give us the strength and mind to keep our eyes focused on You. Help us to remember that You, O God, have all authority and power in Your hands. Lead us in the way that we should go and please continue to order our steps. We love You, Lord! In Jesus name. Amen!