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How
to Pray in Times of Change
Needless to say, faced with the prospect of being unemployed caused me to pray, but how? "Thy will be done" is always appropriate. After all, God is in charge. But what did God have in mind? I believe God has a plan for the life of a believer. Actually, I believe that God has "a plan" for our lives with an infinite number of variations that can account for the decisions we — and others — make.
When I was a young believer, I attended a Christian college that was quite a distance from my home. I only attended one quarter and decided to return home. When I made my decision known, the Dean of Men called me into his office. He told me that I shouldn't leave school and that if I stepped out of God's will for my life, I might never be able to get back in step with His plan. I went ahead with my plans and returned home wondering about a theology that limits God to a static set of circumstances. A few months later I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It turned out that my decision to return home was a good one, considering the events that followed. God knows details about our life — what the future holds, what is best for us in a particular season of life — that we cannot know. His plan for our life takes those details into account. So what is God's plan for my life? Several years ago, before I started full-time ministry, God gave me a promise from Scripture: "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name" Revelation 3:8. For the past 21 years I have operated on the "open door" principle. On July 11, God closed the door to pastoral ministry. The door that He opened is in secular work. That's not what I had in mind. I really wanted something church related or in counseling. But while I knocked on those doors, nothing materialized. Then I was offered a job with adequate pay and benefits that would allow me to stay put with my family. Clearly God's hand was in it, given the economic climate. So here are the lessons I learned…
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in April I learned of a significant change that was on the horizon for
my life. Due to the economy, my position as an associate pastor was coming
to an end. After six years of helping the church through some difficult
changes, soon I would personally be going through what could prove to
be a very difficult time. Since then I have learned some valuable lessons
on how to pray in times of change.