When You Have Lost Your Job

When we have lost our job, we tend to go straight for strategies when this happens. I know I do. And what we need to do is run to God. We need to run to those rhythms where we can talk and hear from God. Prayer and scripture are those rhythms.

So let's see what scripture says, and then let's pray together today. First, God says this:

Matthew 6:34 says, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

And then Lamentations 3:22-24 says this, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore, I will hope in him.'"

I think both these verses provide a great understanding of how the Christian should respond during a job loss, and we know right now there are millions of people affected by what is happening in our country alone. But these verses teach us two vital things.

First | Daily reliance

I think that we love and even worship at times the feeling of long-term security. Don't we? We save. We predict. We plan. And we, at times, construct a reality of the future based on certain expectations in the present. And then one day, the carpet is pulled out from under us. And we take it personally because all our plans come tumbling down.

When this happens, our plans, visions, and hopes move from long-term enthusiasm to short-term survival. And everything shrinks. Our daily provision shrinks. Our plans shrink. Our needs shrink. While one thing becomes far more pronounced, it is our daily need to rely first upon only God—not our plans, and not our job.

This is what Matthew 6:34 and Lamentations 3:22-24 are getting after. They teach us that first, "today has trouble," and yet second, "God has mercy for today." And I love this, while I think we all hate it at the same time. And we hate it because we want to be in control of the future. Yet there is only one who does. And in seasons like this, when everything shrinks to daily reliance, he wants to drive us to trust Him with the future.

But there is a second and needed point these scriptures make; it's this:

Second | Worship only Him

I think where we have been as a country over my lifetime has driven most of us toward self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and selfishness. We are going to watch this change in this season. While millions are out of work today, we have no idea how the dominos of this event will continue to fall. And I wonder if God is trying to get our attention? As a country. As a world.

The end of our Lamentations verse says this, "'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore, I will hope in him.'" In him and nothing else. I just wonder if, in all of our self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and selfishness, we have been worshipping ourselves and even our ability to predict what's around the next corner—rather than really worshipping God. And when we lose our job (please hear this) we, experience often a deep form of attack on our identity and our ability to provide which attacks us. However, for the follower whose trust is in Him, we are not under attack at all because nothing will attack our God and win. With high confidence, we can move forward, one day at a time, tested yes, but in trust that we need not be anxious about anything. Because our God will provide for us, without fail, even when we have to rely on him one day at a time.

So if you are out there today and your job has been affected in any way, and you need prayer, let me know. I would love to pray personally for you. I will add you to my prayer list. I will pray for you.

A Prayer for a Job

But right now, I am going to pray a prayer of hope for those who need a job. So if you need a job this one is for you:

God, you know the people out there today who are jobless and their specific needs. You know their desire for a job, for work that they want and need to do. You even know the next step in their career path. I pray that you would guide them as they continue on this search. May these people focus first on your will for their life, putting your desires and your plan above their own wishes and wants. Open doors to new opportunities that you desire for them and equip him with the skills, knowledge, and wisdom they need to take steps forward in this process. As these people craft resumes, write cover letters, submit applications, connect them with new companies and potential employers. Give them the words to speak and the courage to share who they truly are and what they can do. Give them confidence that can only come from you, and the character that goes with it—Amen.