This February, by no fault of his own, Dave lost his job. It was just cutting numbers on paper to his employer, but to Dave, it was a big punch in the gut.
The news came on a Wednesday, the day before his 54th birthday. Just the Saturday before, he had went in and worked a full day just to do the right thing for the company and accommodate some contractors that needed his help finishing a project, a day he wouldn't get paid for since he was on salary. Of course, he was devastated and felt completely unappreciated and cheated. He felt like his job had been stolen from him.
That morning, he called to ask for me to pray for him because he had been called into a meeting in H.R. The company was making budget cuts, and he feared his position might be expendable. That call to a meeting was a good indicator he would be let go that day.
Dave is the easy-going one of us. I'm usually the planner, the "got a fire under me" type, determined to figure out the next step and get started on a fix immediately. But that morning, when he called, The Lord showed up. I dropped to my knees right there and all I said was, "We trust you, Lord. Whatever you have planned, we trust you!" I stood up from that prayer feeling not just ok, but actually excited about what would happen next. I kept feeling thankful it happened, like it was a good thing, even though we had no idea at all what we would do, or how long he might be unemployed. The only explanation for my peace in that moment is that God had His hand on us and it was palpable.
Dave came home completely broken, and it broke my heart to see him that way. Still, I had peace and surety that this was a good turn of events, even as painful as it was for him. Each day, multiple times per day, I asked The Lord to give Dave the same peace I was feeling.
He was comforted by so many calls and texts from family, friends and colleagues who showed their utter disbelief he was let go, and offered their support for him. Still, he struggled with the why's and why nots that come with such a sudden life change that's out of our control.
A few days in, I was busy getting ready for the day, when all of a sudden The Lord gave me a thought. It was so clear to me right in that moment that everything we have is His. Everything! Our home, our children, our marriage, our income, and yes, even our jobs. Everything we have comes back to His provisions over us, as He supplies us with everything we need and some of the things we want along the way. So it occurred to me, if this job is God's, who has the power to steal it from Him?
No one has the power to steal anything from God! No human, and not even satan has the power or the authority to steal anything from The Creator of the universe, The Most High God! So if Dave's job wasn't stolen from him, as he was feeling at the time, then it must still be God's to do what He wants with, and in this case, He saw fit to remove Dave from it.
I firmly believe if God removed Dave from a job he loved and was very good at doing, then He surely had something better planned for him, and he did. He was only unemployed for one month, and is now in a job he loves even more.
You may not have lost your job, but what about your family, or your peace? Your health may be suffering. Maybe you've lost a friend or a loved one, or a relationship that meant so much to you. Maybe your dreams haven't come true. Maybe you're feeling cheated. So, if that is you tonight, ask yourself, "Who can steal whatever you have lost from God?" The answer is still no one. NO ONE, including the devil himself, has the authority to steal anything from The One Who created you, gave you a purpose and supplied you with everything you need to fulfill it. Sometimes He allows things to be moved out of your path to grow you, and to keep you on the journey He so carefully planned out just for you. That doesn't mean we won't feel pain in the process. It may be scary, and it may be hard. Trust Him anyway. It all belongs to Him. Walk in that peace today.
Deuteronomy 10:14 NIV
To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.
