During the past several years, I’ve never seen so many people experience such financial difficulties. It’s been hard to see people who you love struggle to make ends meet. Maybe you’re one of them. When that happens, it can feel like God is far away, that He doesn’t care…or that maybe we’ve done something wrong, so He’s teaching us a hard lesson. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

I remember a time when my husband, Tim, was laid off of his job. We had just bought a home, and our mortgage agent told it told us that now it would be impossible to close on our home. I remember bursting out in tears and crying to Tim, “What are we going to do?  How can God be letting this happen?”  And Tim’s calm response?  “Renee, hasn’t God always taken care of us in the past?  Why would you think He wouldn’t take care of us now?”

Later, when he talked to his dad about our situation, his dad suggested he learn how to paint, because there were always people who needed their houses painted. At first, the idea seemed ridiculous. But Tim mulled it over, found a painter who would teach him how to paint…and a few weeks later, he put an ad in the paper. And he got a job…and they referred him to someone else…who referred him to someone else.

Eventually Tim even had to hire a couple of guys to help him with all the work that came in…and in the end?  He made more money while he was laid off than he would have in his regular job!

So in a way we could have never imagined, God took awesome care of us, and we were able to close on our home. And most importantly, I was reminded that God will never leave me or forsake me…and He won’t ever leave or forsake you either. So no matter what difficult situations you face, whatever you do, keep holding on to Him…and know that He’ll never let go of you!

It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit--depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm].
(Deut. 31:8 AMP)