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Fran faces a troubling predicament—she may be laid off from her job. As she talked about it with Jesus, he assured her nothing could separate her from him, so she could trust him.
Of course, the nagging fears keep nibbling around her mind, but Jesus speaks to her again in that inner voice, reminding her he always keeps his promises. Fran begins to think about that.
“That’s right, Lord, and you’ve promised never to leave me or forsake me. And you’ve promised to supply all of my needs according to your riches,” Fran says.
“It’s really a question of whether or not I think you have the riches and resources to meet my needs and those of my children, even if I lose my job, isn’t it, Lord?”
Fran thinks this through very carefully. Trite answers won’t do here. “Yes, I believe you can meet my needs,” she responds, a little shaky.
She can hear that inner voice saying to her: “Well, believing I can meet your needs is one thing; but do you believe I will meet your needs, Fran?” As she thinks about this question, Fran realizes this is a real test of her faith, because faith is believing what you can’t see.
It’s not too hard to say you believe God can take care of you, but when you’re facing possible financial hardships, lack of income, or loss of a job, it causes you to search your heart and see who you trust. Fran asks herself: “Do you trust your employer more than Jesus?”
“Oh, no, Lord, of course not. I trust you more than anyone. You know that,” Fran quickly asserts. “So that means there is no need to panic. I can relax. The company does not hold my future in their hands; you do, Lord.”
As this thought fills her mind, the tears start down her face. “It’s so easy to forget that, Lord. Thanks for reminding me. You’re a whole lot more reliable than any company I could ever work for, and I can trust you with my future. But I have a feeling you’re going to have to remind me of that quite often as this all starts to play out. I’m sure the fear and panic will raise its ugly head again.”
Thinking about that, Fran decides it would be a good idea to type those two verses from Psalm 56 on a card and prop it up right there on her desk, even on her screensaver, so she can see it all the time. “That will help me remember that when I am afraid, you are here for me and no earthly person or organization can get to me except through you. Lord,” she continues, “I am your responsibility, and you are capable of taking care of me quite well.”
“I will keep trusting you, Lord,” Fran replies. “I’m okay now; I’m fine. I better get to work. Got lots to do today.” And with that, Fran’s mind is at rest, and she begins her day’s work.