“For I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

The Future is God’s, Part 1

Recently reading of the losses suffered by a friend, I was reminded of a time when I suffered loss as well. The memory sprang immediately to my mind, for it was a crossroads for me. I didn’t realize it at the time, of course. At the time it was just painful. I was left confused and afraid for the future. It caused me to question my faith and to question God.

My husband had been injured on the job and because of that we moved to a different state to begin a new career, a new way of life, and a great adventure. We had prayed about it and were excited to see what God would do. After some years there, my husband was called upon to run for a political office. (Ominous music should play here!) Again we prayed about it and felt this was God’s will for us.

It was a bizarre experience. People called us in the middle of the night, and there were clandestine meetings in the woods. People were afraid to support us openly for fear of reprisals. They gave their support only covertly. We lost that election, and then the hot atmosphere of politics became a frigid atmosphere of retribution. Unkind things were said and done. Doors began to shut in our faces. We became outcasts.

The election wasn’t the loss that hurt. (You win some, you lose some.) We had given it a shot. The loss was the aftermath, the bitterness, the turning away, the closed doors, the isolation. We were totally unprepared for that. We had lost friendships, our place in community, our sense of who we were and our sense of direction for the future.

I was shaken. Was this God’s will for us? We did not seek this office. They had come to us with the idea of making a change in the status quo. Did we not hear from God? Was this a setup from the start? Had I ever heard from God? How did we get into such a lonely and exasperating situation?

Though we were shaken, God was not. It took some months for us to work through it all. When I was up, my husband was down and then we would exchange places. I learned a lot through this experience, and I will share about it with you in Saturday’s devotional.

Father, many times in life we feel unprepared for what has happened to us. Thank You for walking through it with us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.