I was in the middle of a craft project when my husband came into my workroom, sat down heavily, and stared across the table at me. He was not smiling

“What’s the matter?” I asked, though a glimpse at the clock was all I needed to know exactly what was wrong.

“I didn’t get the job,” he replied.

I sighed and shook my head. “I just can’t understand it!” I said, and I couldn’t. He had been studying and taking tests - tests which he had passed with flying colors - to certify him to be an electrical inspector for either the city or the county, all the while checking on the Internet for any upcoming job openings. One had come up for the neighboring county, and he had collected his references, certifications and resume and sent them in. His interview had been scheduled for Monday. That morning I had gotten up early to make him breakfast, trying to be helpful but not in the way. We were both nervous, and we didn’t talk much. As he went out the door, I handed him his cell phone.

“Will you call me on the way home and let me know how it went?”

“Sure,” he said, then he gave me a quick kiss and left.

I stood at the door until his truck disappeared around the corner, and then I went back inside and cleared off the table - all the while watching the clock, wondering how things were going. I prayed, I paced, and I waited impatiently for the phone to ring, but he never called. Just as I started to really worry I heard the truck pull up. I flung open the door and watched as he gathered his things up, got out of the truck, and walked slowly up the driveway. He didn’t say anything until he got inside, and then he dropped his briefcase down on the side table so hard that the cats ran out of the room.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing happened,” he said, and slapped his keys down on top of the briefcase just as hard.

“What do you mean, nothing happened?”

“Exactly what I said. Nothing happened. I didn’t even get to see the boss. They told me last week that I was going to be interviewed by an inspector, a supervisor, and the department head, but instead I only got to see one of the inspectors and a fire marshal, of all things.”

“A fire marshal? Does a fire marshal have the authority to hire electrical inspectors?”

“None that I know of. And they didn’t even ask me any questions!”

“What did they do?” I was trying to make sense of what he was saying.

“Well,” He said, sarcastically, “for about 15 minutes they sat around and chit-chatted with me, and then they told me that if I didn’t hear by Friday, I didn’t get the job.”

And now it was Friday, past their closing time, they had never called, and after a week of running to the phone every time it rang it was pretty clear that there was no hope for him to be hired.

“I guess it really was a fake interview, after all,” I said.

“Yeah.” He sat there for a moment and stared off.

My heart ached for him. I prayed silently for the right words to help him through this. It seemed like he needed me to listen to him for a while, so I didn’t jump right in with advice and I didn’t try to talk him out of being upset. Then he let loose - or at least as much as Jonathan ever “lets loose.”

“I was completely qualified - more than qualified - for this job! I got all the certifications, I have the background and experience - heck, I even have a college degree! I have more than some of the guys they’ve already hired for these jobs!” Then his voice tightened. “I didn’t even get to see the boss! What do they want over there?” He stared at the floor for a moment, and then said, “I guess all this studying and expense to take these tests was just a big fat waste of time.”

It had taken time, too. Jonathan had been laid off for almost a year. His unemployment had run out, we had gone through all of our savings, and now we were basically living on credit cards. There wasn’t even any possibility for us to get a loan because we’re not homeowners. Things were looking pretty bad for us. But we had prayed, and the Lord had made it very clear to us what he wanted us to do: He wanted Jonathan to get these electrical certifications and then go on to get certified to do building inspection, and He wanted me to continue writing - even though for the time being neither of us would be bringing in much of any income.

As the months slipped by, sometimes late at night, lying there in the dark, I could feel the panic welling up. But I refused to give place to it. I made a decision a long time ago to trust the Lord no matter what was going on. So, though my imagination wanted to take me down some pretty dark roads, I refused to let myself think about all the dreaded “what if’s.” Not that those thoughts didn’t come. But I remembered a teaching from Kenneth Hagen - he used to say that thoughts could come to you like a bird landing on your head - but you didn’t have to let it make a nest there. So when the thoughts came - fear of the future, insecurity, even escape - I said “NO!” And then I would start on my gratitude list: Thank you, Father, for sending your Son to us. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. Thank you, Jesus, for being my friend - for guiding me, directing me, comforting me, and taking care of me. Thank you, Jesus, for the plan you have for our lives, and for revealing it to us. Thank you that you take care of us, no matter what. Thank you that I am safe, protected, taken care of. Thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me. I would say to myself, “I will count blessings like sheep until I go back to sleep,” and I always did.

“Jonathan,” I began, “you know, the Lord’s not surprised that this has happened. God knows everything, and that includes everything that’s going to happen to us. So God isn’t sitting there in heaven going, ‘Oh, my goodness - Jonathan didn’t get that job - now what am I going to do?’ No, He knew this was going to happen, and He had already taken it into consideration. God has a plan for your life, and it includes the extra time we need for you to find the job He has for you. I know it’s rough to be rejected - nobody likes rejection. But He has a job for you, and He has a way for you to get it. All we have to do is keep listening to Him, and everything will be all right.”

My husband knows the Lord, knows that He has promised to take care of us, knows that He has a plan for our lives, and, most important, my husband knows that the Lord is a very present help in time of trouble. Though Jonathan knows all of this, and could have sat down and meditated on these things on his own - in fact, I am sure that is exactly what he would have done had I not been there - right then he needed to hear it from another person. I know there have been times when I’ve needed to hear the truth spoken over me.

He heaved a great sigh, and looked at me. Suddenly we heard a scrambling sound, and one of our cats came blasting into the room, leaped up onto the table, whirled around, and then stood staring at the door, tail twitching. Seconds later our 7 month old kitten ran in, looking all around. The minute the cat saw him, he leaped right over the kitten and ran out the door, the kitten in hot pursuit. We both laughed at their antics, and the air seemed to lighten a bit.

“So,” I ventured, “what do you want to do next?”

“Nothing that involves leaving the room - there’s wild animals out there!”

We laughed again. “Why don’t we go into your office and pray,” I suggested.

“Good idea.”

He sat down at his desk, which was covered with papers, open code books and study guides. In addition to a computer, a small TV was set up with a video tape player so he could watch the lectures designed to help you pass the tests. I stepped over boxes filled with more videos, notebooks and test material, cleared some papers off a chair, and sat down. Then we asked the Lord to show us what Jonathan’s next move should be. We had some options. We were definitely in the right place at the right time. Cape Coral was entering a building boom. In fact, it was listed as being the second-fastest growing city in the country, so we knew the jobs were out there. Though Jonathan was already a fully qualified electrician, he was ready for a promotion and the Lord had made it clear to both of us that Jonathan needed to take some time out to prepare for His next move in our lives. But now we were feeling a little confused, so we began by asking the Lord which way Jonathan should go - continue studying for the certifications or go for one of the jobs as project manager for a local construction company.

Just that week, on his television broadcast, Kenneth Copeland had been talking about hearing from the Lord about the kind of specific direction we needed right then. Kenneth said that he would look for the thing that “seems right” - a feeling he would have. He went on to say that if he had several choices to make, he would write them all down and place them before him. Then he would say each one of them out loud, as though that was what he was going to do: “I am going to.....” and then read one. He would repeat this procedure with every choice, each time feeling within how it felt to go that way. He also said that if he did not get any response right away, he would refused to make a move until he was absolutely sure.

Andrew Wommack, who has a large ministry out of Colorado, also talks about getting direction from the Lord in this manner. Andrew advises us to look for the solution that gives you the most peace. He also teaches that if you only ask God: “Is it plan A or plan B?” you may get the better of the two plans, but there might be another plan altogether which God wants you to follow - so you have to be more open to His plan for your life than just plan A or plan B.

We prayed, and we both, separately, felt the most peace about Jonathan continuing studying for the certifications.

We took a little break, shared a snack, and then he went back into his office and I headed outside to do some yard work. I was just beginning to work up a sweat when Jonathan came out.

“Barbara,” he exclaimed, “I am feeling really excited about studying for these certifications. I have a real positive attitude toward the whole thing. I feel great!”

He even looked better. The color had come back into his face, and his eyes shone.

“And, oh - by the way,” he continued, “I forgot to tell you this joke someone sent me by e-mail.” Then he went into Rodney Dangerfield mode - one of his special talents - and said, “I don’t get no respect! My old man always told me to start at the bottom ... I was taking swimming lessons!”

I was so relieved to see him back in action. I said, “Jonathan, do you realize that in 30 minutes you have gone from being really upset to feeling happy and excited?”

He stopped and thought about it. (It was almost as if he had forgotten.) Then he said, “You’re right! I was really upset - and now I feel great! Praise the Lord!”

As I worked in the garden, I remembered a scripture I had read about encouragement, and when it was time to go back inside, I looked it up. It was in Thessalonians 2:16-17… “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Well, Jesus had encouraged us that day. That’s the best encouragement there is for any of us - to know, first of all, that the Lord is watching over us - He’s not just standing by, He is actively guiding and directing us into every good thing. And then to know that He has a plan for our lives, and He has a plan for our day, and if we seek Him in everything we do He will take care of us.

We all face times of discouragement. Otherwise, we would not find scriptures in the Bible to help us with this. But the Lord has a way out - a way that leads us into His peace. Even when we cannot see the end of it - even before we have all the solutions, and everything is settled, we can still be in His peace.

“Find rest, oh my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62: 5-7)