OBEYING GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM

As originally published on Strong Beauty

Has God ever asked you to do something that required an incredible amount of commitment at a time when your whole life seemed to be imploding?

 

Well, that is what happened to me a couple of years ago when God asked me to open up my house and start a bible study.

 

But let’s back up a little and set the stage, shall we? At the time the story starts, I was working a very comfortable job in Aventura Florida, learning new things and had a pretty good life. That was until my boss told me on the 15th of the month that he wanted to close the company by the 30th. Now, at the time, I was in the United States on a work-related visa, which meant that the company was sponsoring my visa and thus my stay in this country. In 15 days, not only was I going to be without a job, but also without a legal status in the United States.

 

That situation left me with 2 options (or so I thought): look and find another company willing to immediately start the process of transferring my visa to their company or start making plans to leave the United States.

 

I remember going to God and asking Him, what do I do? Help me! And, He answered!! He told me: “open a bible study”.

 

Now, I didn't hear him audibly, but through sermons, counsel from leaders and bible verses, He had been nudging my heart to open my house for His glory.

 

Now, I had every excuse in the book NOT to do it. I was at a time where I didn’t even know if I was going to be in the country the following year, let alone the whole year of commitment my church requires of leaders.

 

But every time I prayed about the visa, about the situation, the answer was always “open a bible study”.

 

So finally I said yes to God, still full of hesitation and full of uncertainty. I reached out to leadership and one warm evening in Florida, I opened my house for the first time for bible study.

 

Now, the most spectacular thing about this story is not my shaky obedience, but the faithfulness of God. Remember my boss? The one that said he was going to close the company in just 15 days? Well, thanks to a series of events orchestrated by God: from the IRS to my mom, the company ended up closing eight whole months after the announced closing day. The Lord stretched those 15 days into more than half a year.

 

And in that half year, unknown to me, He had been growing and doing things in another company, one that when the time came, was willing to hire me and sponsor the visa transfer from the original company to theirs. The Lord worked behind the scenes not only to keep the company open, but to open the door to the one I’m working at right now, a company that not only sponsored my visa but allowed me to be able to access permanent residency in this country.

 

While all these trials were happening, and I wanted to solve things by myself, the Lord gave me this verse, and I think it sums up His love and care:

"You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you."

-2 Chronicles 20:17