Have you ever had a time in your life when things always seemed to be going wrong, no matter how hard you worked to keep them going right? Those can be some of the hardest situations in which to stop and take the time to find the solution—even when you know your relationship with God is on the line.
I was going to college, broke, and living in an apartment with three roommates who had no regard for God. I worked at a fast-food restaurant, and—because the job did not pay much—I worked as many hours as I could possibly get. So, after eight hours of school during the day, I would go straight to the restaurant and work into the night to make as much money as possible to pay the bills.
I knew that my spiritual life was failing, because my Bible study and prayer life were being severely compromised. Even so, the seriousness of this situation did not really sink in for me until I was counseling for baptism. The minister and I talked about my life, and I told him about my dilemma of having to work so many hours in addition to the time that school required of me.
He then compared my situation to the parable of the sower, which says that “the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Luke 8:13–14). He showed how, though I was excited about the truth I had been learning, I still needed to make sure that I did not allow temptation to cause me to fall away. He also helped me understand clearly that though it was important to work and do my part, I could not let the cares of this world overtake me, compromising my Bible study and prayer life so that I could not bear fruit.
After realizing my sin of putting so much before God, I repented and turned to Him. I worked the hours I was given and did not purposely seek any more. Though I did not see how things could work out, I put my faith and trust in God, knowing that I had to obey and draw close to Him above everything else.
I had to trust that God is loving and faithful and would somehow open a door. Several days later, after I had fasted, He did just that. An older gentleman and his wife offered to let me live with them at their home. And not only did they let me stay with them—they did not allow me to pay them anything! Furthermore, the same kindly man offered me a job making more than double the money I was making at the fast-food restaurant—and it was a job in the very field that I was going to school for, giving me vital and foundational experience.
A very important lesson from all of this was that even when we cannot see how turning from our way to God’s way is going to work, we must trust Him and put our prioritiesfullyinto His hands. When we learn to obey in faith, He always provides a way. “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” (Proverbs 3:5–6). We can have full trust and faith that His ways are better than our ways and that He will hold us up and provide all our needs.
If you are faced with a seemingly unsolvable problem, you can turn to God with your whole heart—and He will reveal the solution!