Homeless, Yet Homeward Bound!

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. —1 Peter 3:12, KJV Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? —John 11:40, KJV

The situation made absolutely no sense whatsoever! How could God allow it to happen? This was no ordinary crucible, and there were times when she felt numb in every respect. Rejected, despised, abused, betrayed, and ridiculed, she felt lost and alone.

Was she so unworthy that she deserved this fate? In her car “home,” she began her devotions as the morning rush-hour traffic sped by. Why am I even worshiping Him, she wondered, when it seems as if He has abandoned me? Then she remembered the encouragement she had received from a friend some months earlier, telling her not to give up on God, even though her prayers did not seem to be on the answered list. On its heels followed the memory of her two spiritual brothers, Joseph and Job. As she contemplated their lives, she realized what they had in common despite enduring immense suffering: their steadfast determination to serve God. They had decided to trust His loving care, no matter what.

With her mind fortified and her spirit strengthened, she completed her devotions with renewed hope that God would see her through this ordeal.

That same God, in His mysterious way, used that someone to start a miraculous chain of events. She got off the streets and found a job. Like an eagle mounting up higher and higher, she learned to wait upon the Lord. He had not forsaken her, and she had not given up on Him. Without a roof over her head and without a job, with miserable comforters and false accusers, her faith had been tested and proven. Now she knew beyond any doubt that regardless of circumstance, God was her Redeemer, her Father, and she was His child.

What are you facing today, child of God? Are your fears overwhelming? God has you in His sight. He has not abandoned you. He says to you now, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10, KJV).

Cloreth S. Greene