Crickets And Bill Collectors

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  My face is red with weeping. Deep darkness is on my eyelids. Although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure. Job 16:16 WEB.
  
  Bills piled up steadily at our house with no income to pay them. I'd just spent a couple of months intensely seeking the Lord, praying with my face to the carpet for two hours a day, and soaking in His presence like a warm blanket. Then suddenly, our business dried up.
  
  As the months passed by with no work, I began to feel abandoned and alone. When I tried to pray, I no longer got an answer. When I tried to worship, there was no presence. When we gave, we just had less. When we fasted, we were just hungry. I know that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you, but I could only hear crickets and bill collectors.
  
  During that dark season, I learned this: While a school teacher is teaching the class, they will answer any questions you have. But when the test begins, there is silence in the classroom. The teacher won't give you the answers. You are supposed to use the knowledge that you've been taught to pass the test. The teacher is still there, but they won't speak until the exam is over.
  
  The book of Job is about a righteous man who went through a test. Job's life fell apart. All of his children and livestock were taken from him, he was covered in sores, and there was only silence from the Lord. Then God showed up at the end of the book and restored Job after he prayed for his friends.
  
  In my life, I have gone through tests. Once, after several months of no work and intense pressure, we were packing to move out of our home. Then it ended abruptly, and everything changed for us in twenty-four hours. The Lord put us into ministry. I became a pastor, and a friend stepped in and paid all of our bills for the month. The test was over. His presence returned, and like David and Job, we recovered all.
  
  If all you can hear are crickets and bill collectors, know that it's just a test. Keep the faith, don't give up today. Keep praying, and try to stay positive. It will eventually pass, and you'll be taken to a new level. As Job sat on the ground, having lost everything, he probably didn't see the blessings soon coming. Yet the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life even more than the beginning (Job 42:12).
  
  Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come to You and ask for mercy. Please bring the things that You have taught me back to my remembrance. Give me the grace to pass the tests that I face. Fulfill Your will in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
  
  Note: For those following the Creation Photography weekly challenges, group leader, Dianna Wyles: Psalm 126:2 "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.'" ~ Our next fun-inspired theme will be 'May There Always Be Laughter, May You Always Find Joy' and as always is open wide for your creative flare so have fun taking pictures of things that make you laugh or bring you joy. My photos this week are just that; things that make me laugh and help keep me in a place of joy even through uncertain times such as these. Hope you enjoy my photos as much as I appreciate scrolling through all of your wonderful posts. Have a terrific laughter-filled week and welcome to May ~ God Bless! Here is the link: Creation Photographers
  
  
  

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