God’s Rainbow Promises Help in Times of Transition and Decision.
Have you ever been at a place in life when you needed to make a decision, but are unclear on the direction you should go? You wonder if you are making the right decision. You may even be feeling overwhelmed. Well, I’ve been there many times. One of the toughest times for me was when I was deciding to transition from a job to self-employment full time. I had juggled the responsibilities of a job and entrepreneurship for many years and had grown comfortable in these roles. However, at this point in my life I was really beginning to struggle. I was finding an increasing need for flexibility in my schedule in order to be there to support my husband in his health challenges. The stress of being pulled between work, home, and business was really weighing on me. This is not a time of complaining. No, God graced me to handle all the obligations and he kept me. But within me, I began to feel a growing sense that it might be time to step out of the job. I was hesitant, because I didn’t want to make a mistake. The fear of making the wrong choice stopped me in my tracks and held me captive for months. It was so heavy that I felt as if I were suffocating. I went about all my many duties as if in a trance. I couldn’t think clearly enough to make a quality decision, so I did nothing. I was paralyzed by the fear of regret. Have you ever been there? When I face times like these it’s best for me to get quiet before the Lord. That is where I draw my strength. And when your head and heart are filled with confusion, you can’t hear anything. So, it’s best for me to get away from it all. Now, because of the obligations of home, work, and business, I wasn’t going to be able to physically get away, so I started getting up earlier in the morning. This gave me some quiet time. I would pray, read, sing, but mostly, I would get quiet and listen. No, I never heard a resounding voice speaking from heaven telling me what I should do. But, what I did receive was a quiet peace. This peace helped fortify me, it helped strengthen me to carry forth, and mostly it reminded me that God doesn’t give me a spirit of fear. So, if I was being overwhelmed and beaten up by fear, it didn’t come from him. That really helped to strengthen my resolve. I decided to stop being whipped by fear and dare to step out in faith. One day, not long after that, I was coming out of church. It had rained while we were in church, but had stopped and the sun was shining brightly as I exited the building. Heading to my car, I turned to look back at the church and there over the building was the most beautiful rainbow, perfectly arched over the dome of the church. “Wow!” I exclaimed, “God, Thank you!” You see, for me rainbows are a sign of the promise of God that he’s with me and he would never leave me. This rainbow sighting began to boost my confidence that God would be with me, wherever I go. The next day, I was at work on break listening to a teaching by Pastor Joel Osteen about the signs and wonders of God’s promises to us. In the middle of his sermon, I remembered that I had forgotten to share with my friend about my rainbow sighting. We always share with each other when we see a rainbow. So, still listening to Joel, I sent a quick text to her about the rainbow. Then looking at my phone, realized that my break was over, so I gathered up my stuff and headed for the stairwell, heading back to my cubicle. Just as I entered the stairwell my phone binged with my friend’s reply. It said, “AMEN! Expect His promises to manifest in your life!” At the exact same time Pastor Joel is telling a story (see, I had never turned off his sermon, he was still talking as I was walking). He shares a story of a young lady needing confirmation from God on a decision she needed to make and God provided her 2 rainbows as a sign to her. “Oh, Glory!” I can still feel the shock wave that ran through my body when I heard those words. My spirit leaped and my emotions went wild, tears of joy began streaming down my face. What a confirmation! I was so glad that I was in the stairwell and no one else was around. The Glory of the Lord filled that stairwell with me. I was glorifying God and trying to get myself together because I needed to get back to my desk and clock back in. I finally got the water works to stop. I walked back into the bay almost in a trance. I was still in awe of God’s love at providing such a powerful confirmation of His promises in my life. As I went to sit down, I looked out the window and what did I see but a cloud surrounded by a rainbow! “Oh my!” The water works started again (yes, in the middle of the bay.) I don’t know if anyone else saw me and I really didn’t care. I was so excited because now I’m seeing rainbow all around me. To me, this was God giving me his confirmation that he was right there with me in my decision. I whispered, “God you are such an Amazing God.” I had never seen this type of rainbow surrounding the rim of the cloud before. So, I went seeking in the word for the promise for me to stand on as I made my transition. I found in the Word of God the scripture meaning of what these rainbows meant for me.
So, I stepped out, confident that my God goes before me. Has the road been smooth, without trials? No, many a day, there have been thoughts of doubt raising their ugly head. But, I can stand on the promises of God and stay the course. The rainbow promises remind me that God goes before me on this journey as a directional cloud. His rainbow is his promise of our covenant agreement. He will never leave me. He’s right there with me. Even as I write this, the water works threaten to break loose. But honestly, when I think of God’s all-consuming love for me it is really hard to fight back tears of joy. He truly is a good, good Father to me. I share this with you, not to share my personal story (because in truth, anyone who knows me, knows that sharing my personal life is not easy for me). I share it to encourage you. As you process through your journey take confidence in knowing that God will never leave you. I challenge you to seek to find your own scripture promises. Stand on them. Allow them to fortify you. Then step out in faith! You were created for a purpose. Discover it! Walk in it! Go forth in God!
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