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“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear”
Isaiah 65:24
Ever wondered, ‘Does God actually listen’, or ‘does God even care?’ I know I sure have. There have been times where I think, I have sin in my life - therefore God won’t hear my prayers. Thus begins the dry seasons in my spiritual walk. My prayer life ceases, as little as it was becomes no more. All I have left is fear and anxiety. How do I connect with God, how can I change my life, where can I get the strength to surrender? The questions weigh me down, and I continue the rat-race of life wondering how I can survive.
Maybe you can identify. Perhaps there have been times in your life where you wonder where God is, when all these things are happening in your life; especially the hard challenges that you face right now. I have been very blessed. But I didn’t always feel like that. I struggled so much finding a job, as a freshly registered nurse. I only had six months experience in a specialised area, which made it challenging to find work, because the normal criteria is X number of years in such and such a field of nursing to get the job. Last year I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do nursing, so I’d taken a bit of a break and only half-heartedly looked for nursing work, to no avail. This year was different, I was applying to anything and everything, in every state and territory, outback rural, Tasmania, you name it, I was applying. But. Nothing.
I was ready to pack my bags (literally) and head back home across the ditch to cold wet New Zealand (NZ). I told God, this is my last week trying then I’m going home and hope to find a job there. The following Monday I was in my new work place, five minutes down the road from where I live in the area of nursing I was wanting to work in. It was as though God was saying, you can trust me, I care for you, and I’m able to provide for you. I could continue attending my church, and see my friends - until Covid 19 happened hahha… Life was amazing. God had proven Himself to me!
Fast-forward a couple of months; I’m on my bed, blankets wrapped around me, bawling my eyes out to my housemate. Personal life in turmoil… 9:30pm I finish my cry, my housemate goes to her room, just as she closes my door, my phone pings. My friend from NZ had just sent a Bible promise to me. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.
A couple days later, the same thing happened. I was crying that I didn’t know where I should live, what I should do in life, etc… and as I finished crying, the same friend messaged me another Bible promise. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
I hadn’t been praying to God for guidance or reassurance, but He had just spoken to me! My friend in NZ didn’t know as I hadn’t spoken to her. But God, He had been listening to my conversation. He knew I needed encouragement. He knew I needed to be pointed to Him. He spoke to me. He knew that if I follow after Him, He will bless me. But it’s not so much about the blessings. It’s about knowing that we have a God who listens, who cares enough to speak to us, to encourage us and to provide for us.
Blessings,
Ferna McKerchar
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