By Angeline M Duran Santiago
What? You may be screaming in your sneakers right now and getting ready to message me with, "How dare you?!!" and, "God doesn't want his children to suffer!" with some additional words some of you may throw in. Allow me to share a little of what my family has been going through lately, and I assure you, by the end of my blog, hopefully, you'll agree, God will allow set backs and hard times in our lives.
It was only a few months ago I was without work and right after finishing my probation time, my husband got the news they were letting him go.
For a time our financial situation was very difficult. It was a time where I had no choice but to rely on God for more than I ever had before. I had no choice but to believe that every story in the Bible would somehow relate and come alive for me and my family.
We've gone from having much, to wondering where our next rent money would come from. We went from two paychecks, to wondering if mine would bring enough to keep paying for my son's medications and supplies.
Our health insurance was terminated and we were left wondering, "God, what's next?"
Just as my husband's last days came to pass, God used someone who had no idea what we were going through to share about a job opening. We were excited and began to not only pray but thank God for this job and believing He would open the door for my husband.
This week, the first week of December, he started his new job. Two weeks ago, I started mine. He just keeps saying, "Angie, God has blessed us with this new job!"
God opened a door for me where later on I was given the opportunity to work in the very areas I had always dreamed of. My new assignment has given me the voice I've always wanted in the educational field.
So, now, here's my thought on everything.
God will allow setbacks, hard times, and difficulties to come our way so that we can move to the next level in our lives, experience something new that will take us into what the Lord has for us. We pray for God to have His way and when He starts shaking things up so we can get to where He wants to take us, we see it as God abandoning us and allowing us pain.
My brother, Tito, shared something that shed some light on what we were going through. As I went home and thought about what he shared, this came to my mind.
A Biblical Example:
God's people were doing well. They had it all. They were happy. Their finances, their homes, their farms and so forth were prospering. Some were probably truly serving Yahweh and then you had a huge group that had just divorced their hearts from the Lord completely. It didn't matter where they were spiritually or in their relationship with the Lord.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Read the rest of the story here-Daniel 1
They came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
besiege- surround (a place) with armed forces in order to capture it or force its surrender; lay siege to.crowd around oppressively; surround and harass.
lay siege- The surrounding and blockading of a city, town, or fortress by an army attempting to capture it.
God allowed enemies to come and give them a no escape plan, no choice, you're done with your lifestyle, you're coming with us. God allowed enemies to remove them from their familiar peaceful settings, their happy environment, their lifestyles- either serving Yahweh or serving other gods, but God allowed all them to be collected and taken away. In the blink of an eye, they left it all behind and walked away with only the clothes they were wearing. Nothing. Losing everything.
Confusion, sadness, doubt- God where are you? Why God? If you are so loving, why are you allowing this?
Just as God has a plan here, He has a plan for you and a plan for me and my family!
God's people get take away into captivity and what happens next is mind blowing.
The highest positions or authority were given to God's children. We see Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego and Daniel, not only being blessed with extraordinary wisdom and intelligence, so that the King could see it, but favor was poured from the heavens upon them, so that now, the very people that had placed them under opression and captivity, now looked to them for help, for advice, for the interpretation of dreams.
So, I believe God does allow us to lose it all at times. Does it mean He stops loving us? Does it mean he's like the Greek gods, laughing and playing tricks on us to see how we're going to look going crazy not knowing what to do? Does allowing us to pass through hardship mean that God has favorites and enjoys seeing us on our knees crying out for mercy?
No. I believe in this:
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
God's ways are higher!
His wisdom without comparison.
He knows what we can handle but He also knows our destiny. He knows our future needs. He knows our calling and where we need to go. He knows that the only way we can receive what we need is to sometimes cross the bridge to get to the other side. Sometimes we need to pass through the dark valley in order to see, truly see, Yes, Lord, you have been with me through it all.
God has never once forsaken us.
God has always allowed us to have more than enough.
My children have never been without food.
My son has always had more than enough supplies and medication.
So, where does this leads you who are reading?
Are you facing something like we have faced or perhaps something worse? Then trust in Him. Don't become angry, bitter, or walk away from the Lord. Hold on to every promise. Believe you are not forgotten. Yes, He knows your name. Continue to declare God's favor and goodness in your life, in your home and in your situation. Help is on it's way. God is in the middle of your crisis. God is working all things, ALL THINGS, for your benefit. I'm telling you, it's going to work out.
Your hardships, your unemployment, your waiting on the Lord, He's got it all in His care.
Wait on the Lord.
If you would like prayer, just reach out to me and I will stand with you believing knowing God will do great things in your midst just as He is doing in ours. We are still waiting for so much more, but oh the joy as we wait and know we are not alone. God bless you.
Enjoy my other blog:
A Diabetic's Mom's Journey
What? You may be screaming in your sneakers right now and getting ready to message me with, "How dare you?!!" and, "God doesn't want his children to suffer!" with some additional words some of you may throw in. Allow me to share a little of what my family has been going through lately, and I assure you, by the end of my blog, hopefully, you'll agree, God will allow set backs and hard times in our lives.
It was only a few months ago I was without work and right after finishing my probation time, my husband got the news they were letting him go.
For a time our financial situation was very difficult. It was a time where I had no choice but to rely on God for more than I ever had before. I had no choice but to believe that every story in the Bible would somehow relate and come alive for me and my family.
Would God multiply the bread and the fish?
Would God truly meet all my needs (financial and material) according to His riches and glory?
Would God truly provide healing and restoration?
We've gone from having much, to wondering where our next rent money would come from. We went from two paychecks, to wondering if mine would bring enough to keep paying for my son's medications and supplies.
Our health insurance was terminated and we were left wondering, "God, what's next?"
Just as my husband's last days came to pass, God used someone who had no idea what we were going through to share about a job opening. We were excited and began to not only pray but thank God for this job and believing He would open the door for my husband.
This week, the first week of December, he started his new job. Two weeks ago, I started mine. He just keeps saying, "Angie, God has blessed us with this new job!"
God opened a door for me where later on I was given the opportunity to work in the very areas I had always dreamed of. My new assignment has given me the voice I've always wanted in the educational field.
So, now, here's my thought on everything.
God will allow setbacks, hard times, and difficulties to come our way so that we can move to the next level in our lives, experience something new that will take us into what the Lord has for us. We pray for God to have His way and when He starts shaking things up so we can get to where He wants to take us, we see it as God abandoning us and allowing us pain.
A Biblical Example:
God's people were doing well. They had it all. They were happy. Their finances, their homes, their farms and so forth were prospering. Some were probably truly serving Yahweh and then you had a huge group that had just divorced their hearts from the Lord completely. It didn't matter where they were spiritually or in their relationship with the Lord.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Read the rest of the story here-Daniel 1
They came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
besiege- surround (a place) with armed forces in order to capture it or force its surrender; lay siege to.crowd around oppressively; surround and harass.
lay siege- The surrounding and blockading of a city, town, or fortress by an army attempting to capture it.
God allowed enemies to come and give them a no escape plan, no choice, you're done with your lifestyle, you're coming with us. God allowed enemies to remove them from their familiar peaceful settings, their happy environment, their lifestyles- either serving Yahweh or serving other gods, but God allowed all them to be collected and taken away. In the blink of an eye, they left it all behind and walked away with only the clothes they were wearing. Nothing. Losing everything. Confusion, sadness, doubt- God where are you? Why God? If you are so loving, why are you allowing this?
Just as God has a plan here, He has a plan for you and a plan for me and my family!
God's people get take away into captivity and what happens next is mind blowing.
The highest positions or authority were given to God's children. We see Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego and Daniel, not only being blessed with extraordinary wisdom and intelligence, so that the King could see it, but favor was poured from the heavens upon them, so that now, the very people that had placed them under opression and captivity, now looked to them for help, for advice, for the interpretation of dreams.
So, I believe God does allow us to lose it all at times. Does it mean He stops loving us? Does it mean he's like the Greek gods, laughing and playing tricks on us to see how we're going to look going crazy not knowing what to do? Does allowing us to pass through hardship mean that God has favorites and enjoys seeing us on our knees crying out for mercy?
No. I believe in this:
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
God's ways are higher!
His wisdom without comparison.
He knows what we can handle but He also knows our destiny. He knows our future needs. He knows our calling and where we need to go. He knows that the only way we can receive what we need is to sometimes cross the bridge to get to the other side. Sometimes we need to pass through the dark valley in order to see, truly see, Yes, Lord, you have been with me through it all.
God has never once forsaken us.
God has always allowed us to have more than enough.
My children have never been without food.
My son has always had more than enough supplies and medication.
So, where does this leads you who are reading?
Are you facing something like we have faced or perhaps something worse? Then trust in Him. Don't become angry, bitter, or walk away from the Lord. Hold on to every promise. Believe you are not forgotten. Yes, He knows your name. Continue to declare God's favor and goodness in your life, in your home and in your situation. Help is on it's way. God is in the middle of your crisis. God is working all things, ALL THINGS, for your benefit. I'm telling you, it's going to work out.
Your hardships, your unemployment, your waiting on the Lord, He's got it all in His care.
Wait on the Lord.
Enjoy my other blog:
A Diabetic's Mom's Journey
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