A Prayer Answered!

Hi! Loved Ones,

I pray that your week has been fruitful and you have seen Jesus in a new and real way this past week. For this weeks thought I want to share of a personal struggle that I have been going through recently. I don’t share it to bring attention to myself but to show you how the Lord has answered my prayers.

As you all know I am beginning the final stage of parenthood at home. Hannah like the rest of our "kids will soon be leaving our home.

As each one left our home I struggled with part of my heart going with each of them. So that means that I have shed tears many tears and I have deeply missed each one and the part they had in helping me grow up more in the Lord.

I have been crying out to the Lord for Him to show me what is next in this new stage of life I am entering. He has shown me several things. One being a prayer warrior for each of my kids and others who ask me for prayer and secondly to be available to give counsel and encouragement when asked for help.

That is one of the reasons the Lord has led me to write on this blog and I pray that He will use what he enables me to say to His glory.

A couple of weeks ago I was presented with an opportunity that I have been praying about fervently. A Social Services position became available. It is a job that I did before I became a mom and really enjoyed. I went to inquire about the job and was interviewed on the spot. The interview went well and I was asked to develop a resume. Thinking that this may be something the Lord was leading me to do I followed through and last week received a call to have another interview this week. The position pays well and would provide all the extra things we are in need of such as tuition to help Hannah, paying off a debt we have, building up our retirement… So it was quite attractive to me.

As a part of the ministry team of Village Missions I am responsible to get permission from my District Representative and the Assistant Director if I am to seek outside employment over 16 hours per week. This position was 40 hours. I wrote to my District Rep to ask his permission and what he wrote back to me was wise and godly counsel. He thought it would not be the best thing for me to do as our ministry here is quite busy. He reminded me that the Lord will provide all of our needs and if I worked full time I wouldn’t have the energy to be the best I can be in being Jon’s helpmate, but he left the decision up to me. I talked to Jon and considered my District Reps counsel but still wasn’t sure what I should do.

So today I was browsing through an old ministry book I read years ago called High Call High Privilege by Gail MacDonald. I opened the book to this exact page and what the author said I feel the Lord said directly to me. She was talking about a career choice and said “ If a career is our choice, then we must realize at least two things. First the expectation of husband and wife for knowing each other’s worlds are lowered. And second, the complementary “helpmate” aspect of marriage will have to be worked at even harder. The pastor’s wife who pursues an alternate vocation may defend it on the basis of financial need. That is doubtless a justification in many homes and it may be quite legitimate, but before we content ourselves with that reasoning alone, let’s routinely assess whether we are working to take care of needs and not desires.”

Can you now see clearly as I do now that Satan was leading me down into a trap. He wants me to get my eyes off of Jesus and onto the things of the worlds that are His.
Sometimes the Lord has to hit me in the face directly for me to discern what His will is for my life. He used Gail MacDonald’s words to do just that!

Jesus wants me to sit as His feet and learn from Him. He wants me to be Jon’s helpmate and He doesn’t want to see our marriage fall into the pit that so many marriages are doing today because they are too busy. He wants me as is instructed in Titus to be a keeper of my home whether it is full with children or empty with just my husband and myself.

So you may be asking why am I sharing this with you. Could the Lord be trying to get your attention to just focus on Him? We each know the struggles we are facing in life right now.
We just want answers, but are we willing to sit at the feet of Jesus and let him lead the way?
My challenge to you this week is to spend time just seeking the Lord in His word. Cry out to him about all the trials and troubles you have. He understands. Let him lead the way. So often we think we have the answers and we have to be the one trying to work things out, but really all He wants is us to sit at His feet!

I am so glad the Lord answered my prayer so directly.

So tomorrow I will be contacting the organization and letting them know that I am declining the interview because I feel the Lord has led me to be a keeper of my home and a helpmate to my husband. They probably won’t understand, but Jesus will and he has the best in mind for my life.

I have a sense of peace even though I am still struggle in other areas of my life, that the Lord is doing something new within my spirit as I say Yes to Him and No to the world.

Blessings,

Debbie