INTRODUCTION TO LIFESTYLE WORSHIP IV

Have you ever been in a situation where you did your best to follow the leading of God, and it took you way out of your comfort zone; and you did your best at the work He gave you to do, even though it was very stressful - and then it seemed as if God rewarded your obedience and hard work by ignoring you, leaving you out on a limb?

I'm pretty sure Joseph, in the book of Genesis, felt that way at times. So did Job, another Old Testament hero. And so did Charles, a young man whose true story we are telling as an introduction to the most important series of messages we have ever presented on this broadcast.

For those who missed earlier broadcasts, Charles was a young husband and father who left a secure college faculty position to follow what he believed was the Lord's leading into a difficult doctoral program and a demanding fulltime church ministry that involved moving every two years during that 6-year period of time. The burden and stress of study and work were enormous, but he shouldered this combination willingly because he thought it was what God wanted him to do.

At the end of his doctoral program, when he was most weary, he was suddenly dismissed from his church ministry, even though his work was good and his ministry was developing well. He couldn't understand what was happening, and he became a prime candidate for bitterness. Let's pick up his story from that point.

After the initial shock of being asked to resign from ministry, Charles became optimistic. He had many friends along the coast from whence he came. They'd know what openings were available, right? This could be his chance to return to the coast and be available to help his ! That seemed like an answer to prayer, since their health was getting worse and worse as the months went by.

Challenged and confident, Charles first contacted colleagues who were "in the know." Weeks and a barrage of calls and letters went by, but Charles was no closer to a new position anywhere near his parents. One lead after another evaporated like a desert mirage.

Now puzzled and poor, Charles doggedly and humbly began searching for work of any kind in their local area. No success: He was rejected as either over- or under-qualified for every reasonable (and unreasonable) job Charles explored. More weeks passed.

Now dejected and destitute, Charles finally drove down to the unemployment office and stood in line. Even there, he was rejected. Because their church was not a contributor to the system, no financial assistance would be given him. In deepening despondency, and seeing no other alternative, Charles took his wagon directly from there to the welfare office.

Again Charles stood awkwardly in a barely-moving line of people, afraid of being recognized and certain that everyone was staring at him behind his back. He felt like a hunk of beef hooked to a conveyor belt. When he finally got to the counter, rejection mocked him once more: Although they had no money, their old station wagon had just enough resale value to prevent their receiving financial help.

Charles laughed at the irony of it, asking the clerk what would happen if he sold his only means of transportation to any possible job and wasted the proceeds on booze. Would Charles then qualify for welfare assistance?

"Yes," she replied. Charles couldn't trust myself to say a word. Charles left, shaking his head in disbelief and carrying his self-esteem in a sling.

"Lord?" Charles asked in confusion. "Is this what I get for doing what I thought You asked me to do?"

Yet, God was not asleep and Charles knew it. Throughout this experience, God's nurture continued its quiet flow inside his heart and mind. Slowly, surely, steadily, and in a thousand ways He gave grace.

Not the least of these was to and through his wife. On the morning Charles "got the word" from his boss, she "got the Word" from God. Without knowing what was happening to him at that same time, God drew her attention to Psalm 112:7. Speaking of a godly person, it says, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

Later in the morning as Charles called and conveyed their problem, Jan conveyed to him God's promise. Her steadfast heart and trust in the Lord was a soothing encouragement. Isn't God's Spirit timely? Isn't His Word amazing? And what a treasure it is to have a godly wife!

Another evidence of His grace in Kay was her resourcefulness. While Charles continued scouring the area for work, she scoured the area for food. One of her discoveries was a place that distributed surplus bread and dairy goods to needy people. It was like modern manna! They gratefully participated in that program.

Yet, as Charles pictured her standing in a parking lot line, waiting for handouts, he was overwhelmed with feelings of failure and uselessness as a husband, father and ex-breadwinner.

How would you react if something like this happened to you? My guess is that many listening to me today have experienced some of these same events, and some of these same feelings. Tomorrow, we'll learn from Charles and his wife as we see how they coped with these circumstances.

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.