Jerusha: I’m delighted to welcome Jennifer Slattery to the FW Blog today! Jennifer is giving away a print copy of her novel, Hometown Healing, to one of you! So read on and leave a comment below for your chance to win!
By Jennifer Slattery
In 2006, my husband stepped into an ugly power struggle that nearly cost him his job.
In the span of a year, he’d changed employment three times, landing, precariously, at the company he’d started with, but in a different location and with a pay cut and demotion. The organization he initially quit, with zero notice.
Therefore, though my husband’s former boss, through God’s grace, invited him back, Steve’s position felt shaky at best. Like he was one mistake away from unemployment.
Adding to this mess of uncertainty was the fact that my husband was coming in both equal and under the current shop director. A man accustomed to little oversight, and whom we soon discovered was behaving unethically in countless ways.
He was allowing employees to “steal” time, was misreporting injuries, misusing his company credit card in outlandish and grievous ways, and gave those with influence special privileges. Worse, he pressured my husband to comply with his dishonest tactics.
Though anxious, my husband refused, knowing however his boss responded and whatever occurred, his allegiance was to Christ and Christ alone. He made the right, hard choice.
The result: the truth eventually came out, his boss and numerous managers were fired and walked off the property, while my husband was promoted.
We rejoiced at God’s goodness and grace, celebrating the fact that righteousness and justice had prevailed. Soon, however, our praise turned to desperate prayers for God’s intervention and protection as evil, power-hungry men used to getting their way slandered and attacked my husband.
One man in particular, the union rep, determined to make it his mission to get my husband fired. Every day, he bombarded my husband with accusations and demands in an attempt to wear him down.
When this didn’t work, he wrote to the Chief Executive Officer telling him how “terrible” my husband was. Once sent, he printed and prominently displayed the letter he wrote, in which he’d twisted everything my husband had or hadn’t done in an effort to make him look bad.
While walking down the hallway one morning, my husband happened to see this letter, tacked on one of the union bulletin boards. He felt attacked and deeply fatigued. Not only had his continual decision to make the right, hard choice not produced positive results, but it’d landed him in a mess. One that felt never-ending and appeared to be gaining momentum.
With every interaction, my anxiety climbed. What if this man succeeded and Steve’s company let him go? Where would he work? How would we pay our bills? Our mortgage? What if we lost our home?
Initially, our world felt out of control. Our security only as steady, as sure, as my husband’s next paycheck.
But then we remembered our sure foundation, the immovable rock upon which we stood.
Psalm 18:1-2 says,
I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliver.
This was written by ancient Israel’s second king, a mighty warrior who’d once defeated a tyrannical giant without displaying a hint of fear. But this warrior found strength not in himself and his military prowess, but instead in His sovereign, all-powerful, ever-present God.
He recognized how insufficient and vulnerable he was apart from God, but more so, how protected and untouchable he was when raised upon the crags of God’s love.
In those ancient times, towering rocks or bluffs dotted the landscape of ancient Palestine, providing places of refuge, of protection, for all who scampered upon them. These elevated geological edifices were difficult to reach and offered shelter within their caverns. Therefore, they became places of safety in times of danger.
Fortresses offered similar protection. The people built heavily-fortified cities high upon a cliff, where they could see enemies approach for miles. Then, they erected stone towers at the highest point in the city.
Can you sense the layers of protection revealed in the Psalm 18 passage? In Christ, we stand high upon an immovable rock of power and grace, further hidden within the clefts of His love.
His strength is greater than anything or anyone that comes against us. We are triply protected within His steadfast embrace.
He is our sure and constant deliverer, the rock beneath our feet, and the fortress surrounding us.
In 2006, as attacks continued to barrage my husband and our family, we hid ourselves deeply in God. When anxiety arose, we reminded ourselves of where our true security lay, and all we knew to be true about God.
He was faithful, loving and attentive—unconquerable. He was our ever-present provider, the only One with the power to sustain us.
That year, He proved Himself to be all those things and more. I’m confident He’ll do the same for you.
Whatever you’re facing, whatever is coming against you, rest in this: God’s got you.
He’s standing beside you, within you, and is camped around you. He is your refuge, your rock, and your strong, fortified tower.
You don’t have to be strong or know all the answers—that secret that will somehow whisk you to safety—because in Christ, you’re already safe.
When has God proven Himself to be your rock and your fortress? If you’re facing a trial, how might it help to shift your thoughts away from your circumstances and onto your immovable Savior? Please share!
Photos by Eric Muhr, Nick Herasimenka, Blake Cheek, and KAL VISUALS on Unsplash. Original graphics designed by Jerusha Agen.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and national speaker who has addressed women’s groups, church groups, Bible studies, and other writers across the nation. She maintains a devotional blog found at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud and on Crosswalk. She has a passion for helping women discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ
As the founder of Wholly Love Ministries, she and her team partner with churches to facilitate events designed to help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Contact her here to book her for your next women’s event.
Jennifer is offering one free print copy of her romance novel, Hometown Healing, to one of you! Simply leave a comment below to enter the giveaway! (Giveaway ends Feb. 3, 2020; Winner must have continental U. S. mailing address.)
Hometown Healing
She’s home again, but not for long…
Unless this cowboy recaptures her heart
Returning home with a baby in tow, Paige Cordell’s determined her stay is only temporary. But to earn enough money to leave, she needs a job—and her only option is working at her first love’s dinner theater.
With attraction once again unfurling between her and Jed Gilbertson, can the man who once broke her heart convince her to stay for good?
FAITH OVER FEAR PODCAST SERIES
We were not created to live in fear! God created, redeemed, and called us to live with courage and eternal impact. Jennifer knows from experience how debilitating our thoughts and emotions can become.
In her 12-part podcast series titled Faith Over Fear, she helps listeners battle many of the anxieties and fears that often assault us, sharing practical tools and timeless truths that can help us live our Christ-won place of victory. Find these episodes on Life Audio.
Comments 8
God is my refuge and my strength right now as I battle cancer. He has many times proved himself faithful over the years in times of struggle, and I have no doubt that he will do so now.
Linda,
I’m so sorry you’re enduring that. I know that’s hard and frightening. But praise God He is walking with you, holding you close, and growing courage within you! May He continue to do so! I love how you’re bolstering your faith with memories of His past faithfulness!
God is enough, but it still hard when we are going through the Fire. The clue is through….He brings us through stronger and with a greater testimony. Blessings
Beautiful thoughts, Lelia! Thanks for sharing!
I have faced numerous trials regarding my family. Especially because of one of my brothers being consumed by drug addiction and it seemed to get worse and worse. It has been hard and I’ve struggled at times to believe that God’s got it under control, especially when things seem to be spiraling down. But even if my anxiety hasn’t completely evaporated, I ask each day to the Lord to help me put my trust in Him. I try to concentrate in doing what I think He wishes me to do, and place my burdens in His hands to do with them as He sees fit. I trust His ways, and I know they are not always what I expect or wished for. But I trust it’s for the best, for our own good, and I cease to try to understand it. I just trust. It has helped me a lot, and it always gives me peace, even if I do struggle again sometimes. I just try to start over again and place my trust in God. That, and prayer… I believe prayer can be so strong and that it touches God’s heart in ways we can’t imagine. So I know I have to persevere in prayer even if the outcome I expect never comes.
As of now, my brother has being sober for almost two years and has a job. He still has issues and I know he’ll always struggle in someway, but I trust God to keep him safe.
Thank you Jennifer for sharing your experience, it inspires me and helps me to know that we all have our struggles in trusting God with the control of our lives, while doing always the right thing to his eyes. Prayers for you and your family!
Love the book cover and blurb!
That’s hard! I tend to struggle with anxiety most when it comes to concerns involving my family. I have to do as you are–remind myself that God loves my loved ones more than I do, sees them, and is with them. The other day, I challenged my Faith Over Fear FB group to say a prayer three times a day–to set their alarm to remind them to do so. This is the prayer:
Lord, help me and empower me. Break the chains anxiety has over me. Draw me close to You and keep me close. Remind me to turn to You when I am afraid. And fight against my fear. Thank You that Christ in me already reigns victorious.
Author
Congratulations, Paty! You’re the randomly selected winner of Jennifer’s book, Hometown Healing. I’ll contact you via email with more details!
Wow, Jennifer. Thank you for sharing such an example of remaining faithful through adversity. Faith over fear! God bless.