We
were still waiting, yet with peace that this was the path for us. His
gift. His answer to a year of waiting for hope to be fulfilled.
After the holidays, Robb got called for his first interview.
It went well. He liked the team. They appeared to like him. Everything was looking good.
A
week later, he had his second interview. As he was waiting to be called
in to the conference room, he was stunned to see a picture similar to
his running path photo hanging in the lobby. He had missed it before.
A little thing? Maybe. But it encouraged us as we walked this path with God.
Again, Robb came home pleased and excited with how well the interview went.
The fog that had obscured our path for so long was clearing.
On
Monday, January 16, we got an unexpected phone-call. It wasn't the
good news we were waiting for, but rather, the closure to a previous
chapter in our business history. The resulting relief was immense. It
was an unexpected blessing. God seemed to be tying up loose ends from
the past before giving us a future.
On
January 17, he had his third interview, this time with the President of Crown. We had expected
to get a final answer that day, and were pretty down to have to wait
yet some more.
We over-analyzed every word spoken at
each interview trying to guess what the result would be. We feared our
reaction if the end was not favorable. We thought we knew what God was up to, but it's not a done deal til the papers are signed, the name plaque made.
The Lord brought this verse to mind as we waited and were tempted to wonder if all this excitement was for naught,
"Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows."
I felt him saying,
I am not tricky.
Nor am I shifty and shadowy like.
I do not say one thing and do another.
My gifts are good.
Do not despair.
Be not impatient.
Trust.
A friend wrote on my FB wall that day,
"in my experience, the very best things in life sometimes take the longest to be fulfilled. :)"
That evening I went to the Psalms again. I know my God is a God who delights in details. An interesting thought came to me.
What if God waited three more days, until the 20th, to give us this job?
The 20th for the 20th Psalm. My Psalm of victory given exactly one month prior.
Would he do that? Just for effect?
We knew the timetable to be such that we would possibly hear something on Thursday the 19th.
The evening of the 19th came and Robb was discouraged.
We had heard nothing.
I wasn't really surprised.
I pulled out my Bible and read Psalm 20 to him. Then I boldly declared,
"You will hear an answer tomorrow. And the answer will be yes. Because tomorrow is the 20th."
Sometimes God doesn't let us see what
is coming, but other times he knows we need encouragement, and clues
us in that He is at work. If we're paying attention, we might even get bold enough to speak it before it happens.
(It's
easy to write this all now, you may say, after the fact, but aren't
you exaggerating your knowledge of events to come? If you are doubtful,
I can understand that. I might say the same thing if on the observing
side. Check my Facebook timeline. If I exaggerate anything, it is my confidence at the time. Though I was vague, the
verses were posted there on the days I specify here. I haven't been one to regularly "hear" things from God. I'm beginning to think it's because I wasn't really listening.)
I was convinced when I said it, and excited too,
"You will hear an answer tomorrow. And the answer will be yes. Because tomorrow is the 20th."
The next day came, and for effect and for Love, God did just that.
Robb was offered the job.
We found out later, the name plaque had been secretly printed by excited co-workers days earlier.
~*~
I didn't plan this, but isn't it fun that
today is also the 20th? God is fun. :)
Next week: Beyond Imagining: Immeasurably More {7}
