James 1: 12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
This morning, while I was chatting with a friend on the phone, I did some banking as usual. I opened my banking account, and money was missing. The amount missing from my savings was almost $9,000. At first, my stomach sank, and the poops came, reminding me how connected our body is to our emotional state. That is an entire blog on its own. I told the friend, “Got’a go! Someone stole thousands out of our account.” I don’t think she even responded because I hung up too quickly.
I have the fraud prevention number on my phone, so I called them. They did not see any fraud in my account. The person I was speaking with was not responsible for my circumstances, so I chose to talk to them without making them feel like they were the problem. They explained that I would need to contact the bank for them to review the withdrawal I’m disputing. I found this error at 9 a.m. Central Time, two hours ahead of Pacific Standard, where my bank is.
Will I spend time on the potty with the bubbles in my tummy, overwhelmed in worry, or will I act in faith while waiting? How would you? Many of us wear shirts about faith over fear or worship in the waiting, but are those honest sentiments in your spiritual journey? You won't know until you are put in a situation where fear, faith, worry, or trust are the options. Here is my time; what will I do?
My first step was contacting some prayer warriors. I was also given some incredible advice from a couple of friends. Then the Lord asked me in the quiet of my spirit, “Isn’t this the area you struggle to walk in faith?” Though people did this to me, the Lord spoke in my soul, “This is an opportunity to see if your dependence is Me or your bank account.” Peace filled me like only God can give.
Then I prayed, and a plethora of passages rolled through my mind like the calm wind on a sunny afternoon. Scriptures such as Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything...” Even being frauded out of thousands of dollars?” Yes, like that, “but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving…” Thanksgiving? Do I need to be thankful for someone stealing money from my account? No, don’t be thankful that someone stole, but be grateful that God is a God of enough. He’s also the God who knows how to work these things out through the system He’s allowed to be set up. I am thankful that I can invite Him into these circumstances by faith. I am grateful that he knows what we need to trust Him more and allow the image of His Son to become more visible in our lives.
Philippians 4:6 ends, “Present your requests to God.” My request, Lord, you know we did not do this. Please help the bank see the error in this situation and return the money to us.” Help us trust you more while in this process. Many other passages came to mind, but that was a valuable one. My study at church is going through Philippians. This is a very familiar passage, too. That is what two hours of worshipping in the waiting looked like this morning.
Finally, it was 11 a.m., and I got on the phone with a service provider from the bank where it was 9 a.m. The situation was more complicated than a simple fraud. It was a bank teller error from another bank. Unfortunately, it is not as easy a fix as I’d like. It would be easy to fuss and cuss waiting over an error on the bank's part, but remember, this is God teaching me something. That is the view of the situation that I chose to walk in. The problem is not as black and white as giving me my money right back. It’s more nuanced. So please don’t feel like you need to be mad on my behalf; I’m not angry.
Anywho, some papers need to be filled out, and an investigation needs to be done to prove we did not give this money to some woman we don’t know. There are so many blessings in the money coming from our savings, not our checking. One, a history of our account makes it easier for them to prove it was not us. Little things God must have directed to allow me to get answers to my prayer over, “Lord, is my dependence on you or my account?” We will get it back in a week to 90 days. I’m not even mad about that. God is doing good work through these circumstances.
I wish faith were contagious. We all have to choose to walk in it. There was a time when I would have been so worried and fearful, and the outcome would have been being miserable towards those I love most until this got fixed. That is not faith. Sleep would have alluded me, and I would struggle to wait patiently. That is not faith. It is not magic that has grown my faith. Through trials—and circumstances over the years- God allowed things out of our control to come and refine me. Sometimes, I failed, and others, I flourished. That is all of us that love God. He is doing beautiful work through difficult circumstances. LET HIM!
Remembering all God has done in the past has been a refining fire when trials have come. Then there is watching God answer areas of struggle with a trial to refine us. This is that for me. I could act in a way that is opposite the request, faithless, or remember I asked him, and he provided the answer. This is not just for some story to tell but for a refined and holy citizen in His Kingdom to be perfected.
Why am I sharing this? Many of us pray for God to help us when we struggle. We don't always recognize it when he answers the way he chooses. Instead, we get frustrated with the how, leading to frustration at the who, GOD! I love having a friend I’ve confided in on this struggle before the trial. It allows her faith to be strengthened, too. She can see how God works this out for me.
I share with you because we love taglines, but when those taglines are actualized, will we fold under pressure or truly worship in the waiting?
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