Try as I might – and I had made a valiant effort, make no mistake about it – I could not get a promotion. I’d been working above my current pay and title for two years and had been recognized as ready for my next opportunity by my superiors for that extended amount of time.
I felt like I’d been doing the right things to achieve a promotion. Getting confirmation that my efforts had been seen and recognized in the proper light, without being able to reap the expected outcome, was the source of deep concern. I was confounded at the delay, as were others around me.
“So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6
Puzzle as I might, I could reach only one reasonable conclusion; God was not promoting me.
But why, God?
I couldn’t help but ask. Probable reasons came tumbling forth. All of those reasons pointed to God, and my already being in position to make an impact – for the Kingdom – right from where God had already very purposely placed me.
And yet I was determined to struggle and wrestle with God.
Asking why was the right thing to do; yet, I had the wrong question. The question to ask was not why I wasn’t able to get promoted in a worldly realm of the corporate work world, but why I was determined to struggle against what my heart really knew.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
My job is to seek God. My goal is to spend time in the presence of the Lord. He will promote me if and when it’s part of His plan.
I peresent this to you as a theory – a proven one – and not as something I’ve learned and have already mastered. It’s a principle I am learning. With a little less help from my own self, and much more reliance on God, this is the goal for which I reach.
In Psalm 46.10 he says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
Are you wrestling with striving in your own power without result? I know how frustrating that can be, and I’m quite certain it doesn’t have to be difficult any longer.
Shari is currently serving as a Hospice Chaplain at Olive Grove Hospice. Shari is a certified coach who lends a blend of business and ministry experience to her every endeavor. God has given her a passion to encourage people to integrate work and faith. You can learn more about her book, Walking in Faith: Stories of Hope and Encouragement on her website: www.sharjharris.com and contact her at sharijharris@comcast.net
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