Saturday, January 17, 2009
God Does Speak
"For God does speak -- now one way, now another -- though man may not always perceive it." Job 33:14
Here is the story:
Back in July I landed a great job as Director of Sales at one of the finest hotels in my market. This hotel offers a higher level of service and amenities than most hotels in the area. It is privately owned and the owner takes great pride in the property. The general manager is a brilliant man with a tremendous vision for what the hotel should be. The position offered prestige, excellent pay and many challenges.
After only two months in that position I received a call from the general manager of another hotel in the area. This property is very new, a family-oriented resort property that has a great future but also has many challenges to overcome. The position pays less, has less prestige and just the idea of changing jobs again so quickly is frowned upon the the business world.
Honestly, I was torn. Partly because I enjoyed working with the General Manager at the previous hotel, and he had given me a wonderful growth opportunity. However, I sensed deep in my soul that God wanted me to make the move. This didn't make any sense to me. I had waited a long time for an opportunity like this one. I was making a handsome salary and certainly God could show me how to put the extra money to good use. It was making things easier for my wife, who has returned to school to study nursing and so can't take on as much seamstress as in the past.
But, the nagging feeling that God wanted me to take this new job would not go away. Could I, who constantly tells God that He is most important in my life, actually take a significant gamble with my livelihood to show that I will obey Him and that I trust Him completely?
Still, I wanted more confirmation that this was God at work in my life, and not just my own lack of confidence.
On the morning when I knew I must make a decision I prayed that God would speak to me, so I would know what to do. Clearly His still, small voice said, "I talk to you all the time, why don't you just trust me?"
That startled me a bit. It was clear and simple, but I had to pursue further. "Lord," I said, "I know I am being a bit like Gideon here, but I really need a slap in the face on this one. I need a sign from you that I just can't refute."
On that particular day my wife had to leave early for a test. I had to put our son on the school bus, and was just waiting around for the bus to come. A copy of Discipleship Journal was laying on the kitchen table. It had been there for several days and had a wrapper on it enticing me to renew my subscription. I picked up the magazine and tore off the wrapper. The headline on the cover read "Decisions, Decisions -- Practical Help for Choosing Well." I chuckled as I read that cover line. Not only did the message speak directly to me, but having it come through a magazine cover line confirmed even further that God meant for me to see it at that moment.
I flipped to the feature article, and the author was writing about making a decision about a career change, and how God presented a sign that was clearly in response to prayer for guidance, and showed that God knows intimate details about the author's life and used that knowledge to communicate with her.
For me, this was confirmation number two that God heard my request and was answering me. But still I was hesitant to accept that He wanted me to leave the job that made so much sense in this world for something that would certainly cause concern for my sanity among my friends and family.
After putting Tyler on the bus I went to iron a shirt for work. I hesitated about turning on the television because I like to watch the news, but it was too late for news on any of the major networks. I turned on the TV anyway and it was tuned into "The View." Not one of my favorite shows. I was about to turn it off when I realized they were talking about creation vs. evolution. The majority opinion didn't surprise me at all. Then Whoopi Goldberg spoke about how she believes there is a God who created everything, but did so in such a way as to leave things for us to discover and learn, and through them draw closer to Him.
This is something I never expected! That I would agree with an opinion presented by Whoopi Goldberg on "The View." Even more amazing was that I was watching that show on that day, when I had asked God to reveal Himself to me in a way I could not discount.
I had admitted to God that I was being like Gideon, and like Gideon I received three signs. Then the verse from Job came to my mind, and I thought that perhaps God has been speaking to me in other ways as well, but I wasn't perceiving it.
That all happened nearly two months ago now, on New Years Eve. I have taken the new job and am enjoying it very much. It has its challenges but offers more freedom of time to do the work that God has set before me. I don't think He is finished, though. I believe that there is more that He has for me to do. I have learned that He is speaking. I need to be listening and watching and ready to respond to His voice.
Here is the story:
Back in July I landed a great job as Director of Sales at one of the finest hotels in my market. This hotel offers a higher level of service and amenities than most hotels in the area. It is privately owned and the owner takes great pride in the property. The general manager is a brilliant man with a tremendous vision for what the hotel should be. The position offered prestige, excellent pay and many challenges.
After only two months in that position I received a call from the general manager of another hotel in the area. This property is very new, a family-oriented resort property that has a great future but also has many challenges to overcome. The position pays less, has less prestige and just the idea of changing jobs again so quickly is frowned upon the the business world.
Honestly, I was torn. Partly because I enjoyed working with the General Manager at the previous hotel, and he had given me a wonderful growth opportunity. However, I sensed deep in my soul that God wanted me to make the move. This didn't make any sense to me. I had waited a long time for an opportunity like this one. I was making a handsome salary and certainly God could show me how to put the extra money to good use. It was making things easier for my wife, who has returned to school to study nursing and so can't take on as much seamstress as in the past.
But, the nagging feeling that God wanted me to take this new job would not go away. Could I, who constantly tells God that He is most important in my life, actually take a significant gamble with my livelihood to show that I will obey Him and that I trust Him completely?
Still, I wanted more confirmation that this was God at work in my life, and not just my own lack of confidence.
On the morning when I knew I must make a decision I prayed that God would speak to me, so I would know what to do. Clearly His still, small voice said, "I talk to you all the time, why don't you just trust me?"
That startled me a bit. It was clear and simple, but I had to pursue further. "Lord," I said, "I know I am being a bit like Gideon here, but I really need a slap in the face on this one. I need a sign from you that I just can't refute."
On that particular day my wife had to leave early for a test. I had to put our son on the school bus, and was just waiting around for the bus to come. A copy of Discipleship Journal was laying on the kitchen table. It had been there for several days and had a wrapper on it enticing me to renew my subscription. I picked up the magazine and tore off the wrapper. The headline on the cover read "Decisions, Decisions -- Practical Help for Choosing Well." I chuckled as I read that cover line. Not only did the message speak directly to me, but having it come through a magazine cover line confirmed even further that God meant for me to see it at that moment.
I flipped to the feature article, and the author was writing about making a decision about a career change, and how God presented a sign that was clearly in response to prayer for guidance, and showed that God knows intimate details about the author's life and used that knowledge to communicate with her.
For me, this was confirmation number two that God heard my request and was answering me. But still I was hesitant to accept that He wanted me to leave the job that made so much sense in this world for something that would certainly cause concern for my sanity among my friends and family.
After putting Tyler on the bus I went to iron a shirt for work. I hesitated about turning on the television because I like to watch the news, but it was too late for news on any of the major networks. I turned on the TV anyway and it was tuned into "The View." Not one of my favorite shows. I was about to turn it off when I realized they were talking about creation vs. evolution. The majority opinion didn't surprise me at all. Then Whoopi Goldberg spoke about how she believes there is a God who created everything, but did so in such a way as to leave things for us to discover and learn, and through them draw closer to Him.
This is something I never expected! That I would agree with an opinion presented by Whoopi Goldberg on "The View." Even more amazing was that I was watching that show on that day, when I had asked God to reveal Himself to me in a way I could not discount.
I had admitted to God that I was being like Gideon, and like Gideon I received three signs. Then the verse from Job came to my mind, and I thought that perhaps God has been speaking to me in other ways as well, but I wasn't perceiving it.
That all happened nearly two months ago now, on New Years Eve. I have taken the new job and am enjoying it very much. It has its challenges but offers more freedom of time to do the work that God has set before me. I don't think He is finished, though. I believe that there is more that He has for me to do. I have learned that He is speaking. I need to be listening and watching and ready to respond to His voice.
