I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Psalm 34:1-5

If It Be Thy Will, Lord

We’ve all heard the phrase hindsight is 20/20: our understanding of events is clearer after they happen than beforehand. For obvious reasons, this is true. But for a Christian, a deeper truth lies within this simple phrase, for in hindsight we see not only God’s provision but also His providence in our lives.

I’ve written here about my husband’s recent 14-week unemployment. Part one is a reminder that God is good all the time, in the good and the bad. Part two tells about peace, hope, and God’s faithfulness during the months of waiting; His timing is perfect. Every day we are more certain my husband found the perfect job for him.

Today I want to share part three: how unemployment affected my prayer life. I hope it speaks to those of you who struggle with the same issues, no matter your circumstance.

Please join me at (in)courage for today’s Sunday Scripture!

{Y’all know the rest of the story, but I wrote today’s (in)courage post last week before my husband received a job offer. Click on over to read the lessons I learned during our months of unemployment and the sweet comments from the (in)courage community.}

*     *     *

It’s the wildest kind of hope to begin a follow-up to my April post God Is Good All the Time before my husband actually receives a job offer, but it feels so very close. I tell him he’s almost employed and in our gut we believe it.

But still . . . So I’ll walk you through the past 12 weeks when we’ve held fast to hope and peace in the midst of unexpected unemployment and what I’ve learned — or remembered — along the way.

For years I said — in the nicest possible way — that I wished my husband’s former employer would have an Ebenezer Scrooge experience and realize he has a responsibility for his employees. It never happened, which is why my husband found himself suddenly unemployed after 17 years with the same company.

When he called to say that he, along with years of accumulated personal possessions, was on his way home, my feelings were mixed: shock that he was unemployed, but happiness that our financial future was no longer controlled by someone who didn’t care about us.

From the beginning I felt peace, and when people asked about us I joked, If we’re unemployed two months from now, then I’ll worry. My arbitrary two month deadline came and went with no job offer, but honestly, I wouldn’t sacrifice a day of these past twelve weeks. And as I write this, my husband is still unemployed.

Please join me at (in)courage for the rest of the story!