July 29, 2005: This touched me, so I'd thought I'd share it. Maybe it will bring a bit of peace to those in a waiting situation.
Tonight over dinner my husband and I were discussing how a colleague of his was prompted by the Lord to put in his resume to a job that (1) had not posted any openings, (2) was in another state and would require him to uproot his wife and children, and (3) leave his current secure job. So this guy obeyed God's repeated nudges and inquired about the job on several occasions over the course of several months. Each time the employer did not return his correspondence. Even though he received silence from the employer, God kept putting this burden on him that this was the job for him (it was with a Christian college). Finally it turns out that the employer had offered the job to another person, but this person suddenly felt that God didn't want him to accept (keep in mind my husband's colleague still didn't know a job was "available"), and so the job was offered to the colleague. Upon hearing the ending of this story, our 7 yr old daughter asked why the college never called him back. Then after a brief pause, she just smiled like she knew something and said simply "Oh, because God was just smiling at him because he obeyed.".
I know.. it's not a big "bells and whistles" story. It's from the understanding of a child. But it reminded me how sometimes we don't get an immediate answer to the things we know God told us to do and we wonder why. I hope when I'm in a waiting situation again, I'll remember what my daughter said, and I'll see in my heart that God is smiling at my obedience and find peace in that.
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:36