Upon Reflection: God's Providence

Today just got another of those daily Sermons by Pastor Prince and he quoted this verse

Matthew 6:26 26Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

It is very easy to see that the birds just fly here and there and eat when they are hungry. They just gather at a field next to my place and munch whatever comes out of the field.

The other example that is so closed to resembling the birds is the wandering of Israel in the desert for 40 years.

Exo 16:35 And the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until their coming into an inhabited land. They ate the manna until their coming to the border of the land of Canaan.

Is this the life that God wants for us? This is the question I was struggling to answer when I was contemplating of quitting my last job and was keen to use the wisdom that God gave (Pastor Prince was preaching very strongly on wisdom during August-October 2006). Come to think of it...that was about seven months ago...another reminder of the last time I shared at Essie's place...exactly 7 months to the day i came back from Australia.

This time round, it is not exactly 7 months, it is actually like 8 months but still it reminds me of the time I got my last job. Considering the jobs that I have been doing during these 8 months, it is not really as bad as the first time around where I was really not doing anything.

The last few months was really a series of part time jobs as lecturer, photographer, designer, activity organiser, gadget reviewer. article contributor and lastly, forum contributor to Straits Times (not exactly a job). Although I did not earn as much as I was fully employed, I am still living at the same level and perhaps more (got new gadgets and cameras) as I did before I quit.

Now, back to God's economy... I have went through it and find it really liberating (in terms of sleep, sanity, depression levels and undue pressures) and would continue to do so if given the opportunity. But God , in His wisdom , know that He has a place for me to do His work and a permanent job He did give me....I just gingerly send out resumes as and when I am interested and after 4/5 interviews in the last month, I got a new job as a corporate trainer. Something I would like to do more without sales target...as Vincent has pointed out "seems like you are going to the education sector"...couldn't agree more.

The good part of all this is that, I left my old job believing in a God that Provides and He did so with remarkable ease...and I enjoy it with remarkable ease with no worries...though I concede there was 2 occasions I did start to worry, the credit card bills and the HDB mortgage. I push this up to God to settle and my pay came at the right moment to settle all these. I prayed to God, "Please....no such heart attacks again!" but on the other hand, it did strengthen the faith in Him.

At the end of this month, would be the start of a new job. But that last half a year I actually gained more in terms of network, contacts, extra part time jobs that I would love to do and yet do not feel burdened in terms of time and effort...In short God has confirmed for me this particular view I hold and confirmed through Pastor Prince's email sermon

I leave you guys with this verse, the confirmation of what I was saying...

Pro 10:22 The blessing of Jehovah, it makes rich, and he adds no pain with it.

and also my favourite verse Jer 29:11...the very verse I brought back from Australia.

Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am planning for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace, and not for evil; to give you posterity and a hope.

Therefore part of the blessing is work without undue nonsense from the world...we gain yet we are not slave to the gain...thus the benefit of REAL tithing.

So now...look forward to the new job that God has blessed! For the work He wants His children to do, He will train them up to do it well!