You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
Around eight years ago, my husband and I experienced one of the most difficult times of testing in our adult lives. His dad had been laid off for months from a lifetime job at our local steel mill and was just starting back to work. We were working at a large church. Mike was working like crazy as the worship pastor. He put in more hours and effort than most of the staff. It was the middle of the summer, and we had gone to Texas to visit my family for a week.
I brought home bronchitis as a fun little souvenir from our trip, so the morning after we arrived home, I left the kids with my mother-in-law and headed to the doctor. Mike headed back to work.
On my way to my doctor, Mike called me. I’ll never forget it. He said, “ Amanda, I just lost my job.” I thought he was kidding. But no. The large church had overextended itself. Too much staff and too little income. He was being laid off not because of anything he had done wrong, but because the pastor’s family were talented worship leaders and felt they could cover this area and save money.
I was very matter-of-fact and told him to go to his mom’s house. I would go ahead and go to the doctor, not knowing how long we would have insurance, and then meet him there.
As soon as I got off the phone, it hit me. We were losing our job, our church, our friends, all at the same time. Overwhelming loss swept over me.
By the time, I got to the doctor, tears were streaming down my face as I tried to reign in my emotions.
Boy, that is the ticket for getting taken back to a room even when there is a full waiting room. They thought I was REALLY, REALLY sick!
Half laughing, half crying, I explained to the doctor that I was not about to die, but that I had just found out that my husband’s job and our church were out the window. My doctor was very understanding and even told me that his family would pray for mine. The kindness of him and his staff helped me get myself enough in control to drive back to my mother-in-law’s house.
On the way, I was reminded by the whisper of the Holy Spirit of a sermon I had heard once. The pastor had said that a job is not the source of our income. God alone is the Source and He can use whatever avenue He deems necessary to provide for His children.
We would rest on that word from God the entire time we were laid off. However, a very special scripture would become my anthem of hope during that time.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
If we would stay in the presence of God, seeking Him, He would show us the path our lives were supposed to follow. He would bring joy in the journey toward and new job and in the destination of that new mission from Him.
There were several miracles that happened. When I met my family at my mother-in-law’s house, we prayed together and put our trust in the only One who knew this would happen and what would happen next.
We hung out there all afternoon, not really wanting to be totally by ourselves. My in-laws invited us to have dinner with us. Late in the afternoon, my husband decided to see what was out there as far as jobs available for worship pastors in the church world. Wonder of wonders, there are websites specifically for that.
He found out that a church in a town about 25-30 minutes from our house was looking for a worship pastor. We left our kids with the grandparents and went to the Wednesday night service to check it out. We wanted to see if it was even a slightly possible fit. On the way, we laid out our game plan.
We would fly under the radar, arriving right on time, rather than our usual early arrival. We would be vague about personal questions. We would sit in the back. We were praying no one would ask what we do for a living.
As soon as we got out of our car, people talked to us while they were getting out of their cars, welcoming us and telling us which building the Wednesday night service was in. Before the informal service began, at least 30 people approached us to welcome us as obvious newcomers. Yet, by a miracle of God, not one of them asked about our job.
A short time of worship started the service and during it the actual pastor of the church tapped Mike on the shoulder. He asked Mike if he was there because of the worship pastor position. So much for flying under the radar.
He told Mike to whom he should send his resume and what steps to take next. This would start what would become an interview process that would take over three months. During this time, when we were tempted to worry, we turned to God’s word and leaned on His promise of joy.
Several miracles happened…
1. That first church we learned had an opening became our new church home, and has been since. On the very day Mike was let go from our old church, God showed us where He was sending us, even though we weren’t completely aware of it at the time.
2. We did not have to move. In the church world, it is VERY unusual to be able to stay in the same area and change jobs.
3. Even more amazing, Mike’s commute is even shorter and less stressful than it was with our previous church.
4. Within five months at the new job, we had replenished our savings account and it was higher than when we had been laid off.
5. The people at the new church were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Our new worship team was completely free of all ‘diva’ attitudes and divisive personalities.
6. Mike was no longer overworked and continually stressed out. After the three months of time spent in the presence of God, Mike was more joyful and relaxed than I had seen him in a long time.
7. Our marriage was stronger and we had a new team mindset when it came to ministry.
8. I was asked to lead worship for a women’s ministry meeting and learned to lead worship for the first time rather than just singing along.
During this stressful time, we placed all our hope on the only One who could come through for us. He exceeded those hopes and made known to us a path of life that we would not have seen for ourselves.
Are you worried about something today? In God’s presence, there is fullness of joy. He knows the path of your life, even when it seems dark, you feel lost, and the way appears totally unfamiliar.
Action Step: Take your worries and lay the at the feet of Jesus. Whenever you have thoughts that focus on the problem, replace them with the word of God. He alone is able to direct and guide us in His path for our lives.
Dear God, thank you that your presence is full of joy. You know us, and you know the paths our lives will take. Lead us in Your way and help us to focus on you instead of the problems in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.