For more than a year, we treaded through a financial wilderness.
What made matters worse was that God didn’t seem particularly interested
that my wife and I lingered in this wilderness. We lived right, but nothing changed.
We prayed for my wife’s disability claim to come through. Repeated denials were
all we received. We asked God to send a work-at-home job for her. It never
happened. But our faith held as things continued downward.
We petitioned God to somehow make my check stretch farther than it
should have. Instead, it seemed to get shorter. We prayed for help with our
television cable bill. We didn’t watch much television, but it came in handy
for the grandkids. Nothing happened, and the cable eventually got disconnected.
We appealed to God for help paying our electricity bill. There was never
enough left from my check to pay much toward our balance. More than one time,
we received the “notice” that the company would disconnect our power in two
days. And more than once my wife trudged to a local charitable organization
that helps people in our situation. An endeavor that resulted in our bill being
paid but also one that caused us to have to muster money we didn’t have in the
first place to pay our part before they would pay their part.
One month, we asked God to help us pay our car payment. We were behind
on rent and needed to catch up to avoid eviction. Help came in the form of my
mother, but we wondered whether or not God had sent her.
As time wore on, our hearts became unhappy—and so did our faces. Our
spirits remained crushed, until we remembered a few things.
Regardless of our circumstances, God had told us not to worry or be
anxious. We just needed to trust Him and give Him our concerns. When we did, He
would give us an unexplainable peace.
We sought God’s direction. We pleaded for open doors and told Him we’d gladly
go in a different direction if that was His will.
We also claimed God’s grace as sufficient. For whatever reason, God seemed
to want us to stay in our wilderness a little longer. We resigned ourselves to
obey—and to be happy and content while we remained there.
God cares for His children, even when He appears to be silent or hidden.
He wants us to walk by faith—strong faith—not sight.
When God places you in some type of wilderness, trust His love and
goodness. He won’t let you down.
Prayer: Father, we trust You to guide us through whatever wilderness You
send our way.
Tell us about some of your wilderness journeys.
Tweetable: How do you know God cares about you?
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