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God's
Speedy Answer
How much is God
really involved in the plans of your life? I began to see it very
clearly...only in hindsight though!
I
had mail. Little did I know that opening it would change my life so
drastically.
It
was the end of April, and I was busy working on my computer in my home
office. I clicked open the email that I just received from Pete, the owner
of the network of television stations that had been my main client during
the past six years.
It
started out on a note I wasn't expecting. "Perhaps your work for our
company is coming to an end…" and ended with "effective June 1st
all work will now be done in-house."
It
went from a "perhaps" to an "effective on" in three sentences. This came
after recently receiving complements and congratulations on the great job I
was doing. I was exceeding revenue expectations and everyone seemed
pleased. What had changed? Why so suddenly? In one month my business
would be virtually shut down!
Several emails back and forth revealed that my request for a clear
explanation or extension of time would not be given. Tears streamed down my
face as I sent the reply, "Thank you for the years that I was able to
provide service for your network. I will help make the transition as smooth
as possible."
Through the tears came a voice from my 'instant messenger' - God. He said,
"This is an answer to your prayer." "An answer to my prayer?” I asked in
surprise. Then I remembered, "Oh, yes, now I remember. I know exactly
which one that was. But did it have to be answered so suddenly and
directly…and via email?”
Well, however God chose to do it, He did answer my prayer! Over the past
few years my prayer was for God to release me from this work and give me
something new. I had periodically written resignation letters that thanked
this client for the opportunity to work with his network, but that it was
time for me to move on. But each time I wrote one of these letters I had to
set it aside. I just couldn't send it. I didn't feel that I had the release
from God to do it. The Holy Spirit kept saying, “Not yet.” But my soul
wanted it over.
Even
so, I yielded to the Spirit’s voice and didn't send the letters. I
continued on and thanked God for the perfect business He had given me. I
was thankful for the flexible hours that I was able to work and the sense of
purpose it gave me. I knew it was God Who gave me this business just when
I needed it and He would have to be the One to decide when to take it away.
It would have to be God and His timing.
You
see, just before God gave me this business six years ago, I started to get
migraines. Bad migraines. They would last for days and were so intense
that I couldn’t do anything but lay on the couch. The pain paralyzed my
daily activities.
Before these migraines hit, I could not have told you a thing about what a
migraine was. Sure, I would have an occasional headache here and there, but
nothing like these. Now I couldn't tolerate lights, smells, or sounds.
Cooking dinner was becoming a rare experience because when I did cook, the
smell of the food would cause me to get nauseated and my head would begin to
hurt and then the migraines would start.
This
began a stifling period in my life where I would be housebound for many days
each month. I started to see doctor after doctor, who would try medicine
after medicine. Each new medication had its own side effects and the bad
reactions I experienced from most of them made me even sicker and kept me on
the couch for even longer periods of time.
The
couch became my friend, and the O.J. Trial became my expertise. It started
around the same time the migraines started, and while I was confined to the
couch I could turn on the TV and be judge, jury, and prosecutor right in my
own home.
I
began to question my purpose. I felt like I was wasting my time. Yet I was
in such pain I could not think of what I could do with myself. I was not
able to hold a regular job. Many times I cried out to the Lord, “Please
give me something constructive to do with my time!”
One
day as I was lying on the couch, I got a call from David, my former boss at
the television network that we used to work for. He used to be the VP of
Marketing there and I was the National Sales Director. It had recently
closed its doors and David was now a consultant for another television
network.
“There is an opportunity for you to help this new network increase their
revenue. They have some unsold commercial time and I would like for you to
manage it for them,” he told me. “You could work from home. Do you want to
do it?”
“Sure!” I told him. “I was wondering how I was going to use all of the
skills that the Lord taught me about the television business now that the
network closed down!”
My
prayer to be able to do something constructive with my time was answered!
This job would be perfect for me. I could lie on the couch when I was sick
and then when my business phone would ring, I could sit up, talk
intelligently for a few minutes. Then when the conversation was over, I
could hang up and lie back down. All I needed was a phone, a fax machine
and Federal Express. During the times I felt well, I could work hard and
take care of this television network's commercial needs, as well as my need
for meaning and purpose during this confining time. It was a business given
to me directly by God.
My
new business provided me with meaningful work while I went through all of
the various challenges and trials of migraine therapy. It offered me the
flexibility I needed and gave the network the extra sales it needed.
Although the monetary benefit was good, feeling like I was doing something
useful with myself was even more important to me at the time.
During the many hours I was home alone I was able to spend time with the
Lord studying, praying, and asking questions. The Lord had shown me a lot
during the various personal and professional experiences that I went through
in my life and He even was teaching me new truths while I was going through
this trial. A real desire to help others, to motivate them and to help them
to see the goodness of the Lord, started to grow. I wanted to share all
that I was learning.
Because of the migraines I was still experiencing, the amount time I was
able to be productive was limited. The time I did have I devoted to my
family and the TV stations that I was representing. Somehow I needed to
have more time to write.
I
thought about closing my business in order to have more time to work on my
writing projects. That is when I wrote those resignation letters that I
just put away. I just did not have the OK from God to close this business
yet. I had to wait on God’s timing. After all, He gave me this business
when I really needed it and I didn’t want to close it until I knew that He
was ready for it to end. So I kept praying and asking Him, “Please let me
know what Your will is. And when You do reveal it to me, please make it
very clear so that I do not miss it.”
So,
that day, at the end of April, God answered my prayer for an unmistakable
answer unmistakably! I got the email that ended my relationship with
this network of stations. It clearly signaled to me the end of this phase
and the beginning of the next phase of God’s plan for me. I didn’t have to
guess at what God wanted me to do about this any more!
One
month after my relationship ended with these stations the Lord answered my
many prayers for healing, too. In July, I underwent a surgical procedure
that miraculously cured the migraines I had dealt with over the last six
years. My term of suffering with debilitating migraines was over!
I
finally had my life back and I was able to start living it again! Things
that I couldn’t even think of doing before returned to be part of my life
again. My life we taken off of ‘hold’ and I could be excited about my
future again. I praised God and thanked Him for His healing.
“What do you want me to do next, Lord?” I asked eagerly. I was ready to be
used by Him in whatever He wanted me to do next.
Out
of the blue I got a call from Carl, a station manager for the network I just
ended my relationship with. “I’m working with a new network now and we
could sure use your expertise to manage our unsold commercial time,” he
said. I accepted, of course! I recognized that God had used this pattern
of offering me a job before!
Now
I am working with this new group of stations, which gave me the change I
needed. And with the extra energy I have from being healthy, I have more
time to write, too! God is so good. He provides for me in every season of
my life!
God
has shown me over and over that He hears our prayers and answers them. I
was confused at times because my prayers weren’t answered in the way that I
thought they should be. But, looking back I can say for certain that His
plan was much better than anything I could ever come up with on my own. I
have learned that God is more generous, more loving, and more powerful than
I ever imagined.
My
current prayer is, “Lord, please use me to share Your Victory with people
all over the world.” If God’s answer to this prayer is anywhere near as
good as His answers in the past, I know I have a lot to look forward to!
©2001-2003 Rose Martin
Ministries, Inc.
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