When our oldest daughter was about 3, she learned the phrase, “Can I be done now?” It was pulled out every time she was NOT interested in finishing something…especially any food she didn’t like eating. At the table with Brussel sprouts on her plate she would ask us, “Can I be done now?” If we were in church and I told her we would go for lunch when we’re done she’d ask me in the middle of the sermon, “Can I be done now?” Every time she was put in “time out” it wasn’t a minute before I’d hear, “Can I be done now? I get it. No one likes to be stuck somewhere they don’t wanna be! Plenty of times I’ve been in situations that I just wanted to yell, “Can I be done now?” I remember one particular time when my husband and I had completed a fairly large government funded project. The job was done but the agency had decided they would just hold the final check a while. We weren’t their local contractor that normally got their bids and they had no love for this little company that came in from nowhere and got the lowest bid. There was nothing but resistance and drama from the agency throughout the entire project. The paperwork was correct but it wasn’t on their forms, the signs on the jobsite weren’t exactly the right size they wanted; they were too large and they’d call the office and say we were working too early, too late, on weekends. They called the Department of Labor because we had our son who was under 16 supervising an area to make sure no one came into a space that was dangerous. His job was literally sitting outside an area making sure no one came in but because he was 15 at the time, they called the Department of Labor and we were audited. Of course, nothing came of the audit but it stalled the job until it was resolved. When this job was finally finished and the last paperwork was approved, I was so excited to get the check and never bid another project for them again…but NO! They held on to the final check simply because they could. This group was a stubborn bunch and they were in charge and they were for sure going to remind us we had no control, and money was getting tight. Months late tight….I mean REAL tight…..SCARY (how are you gonna pay those bills) tight. Have you ever been there? Do you know where I’m coming from? The pressure of trying to figure out what that next step is gonna be when the creditors call, and you can’t pay them was overwhelming. I had fussed over it. I prayed over it. I lost sleep over it and still nothing. I wanted to scream, “Can I be done now?” I was sitting in the office by myself in the afternoon thinking, “Well, this is it.” and the phone rang. My optimism said, “Here we go…. it’s one of my creditors”, but it was from the agency saying, “You can come pick up your check.” In that moment I instantly lost 10 pounds; (no, it was not fat) …it was the weight I was carrying on my shoulders! I hung up the phone and mouthed a silent “thank you Jesus” and heard God in my spirit saying, “I told you I’d take care of it.” Almost sarcastic like, “What’s the big deal? I said, I’ve got this.” When I was in the soup of this situation every second of stress was bigger than life. I was filled with fear. Fear that we wouldn’t be able to pay our bills. Fear that our creditors would shut us off (and we just started this new business). Fear that we were alone.
It’s what the Enemy loves…. fear. I believe it’s his favorite weapon and we allow him to use it on us unknowingly and often. Recognize it. This is NOT from God. This is NOT what God wants for you…to live in fear. Looking back at this situation I see it. When I was in the middle of the soup; I didn’t recognize it. What situation are you in the middle of right now where fear has taken control? Have you prayed about it? If you’ve done everything you could on your own and handed the rest to God then stop what you’re doing. Sit for a minute. Shut your eyes and just breathe. Take some big deep breathes and let it go. God’s got this. He’s working through it. You are not alone. God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. So, we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13: 5-6 You might not see the end tomorrow. You might never understand the “why” but God is “taking care of it”, and He’s taking care of you. It’s been over 15 years since we did that project, but I can still remember how overwhelming that fear was to me during it. Oh yes, I’ve been in situations since where fear had its grip; but I’ll NEVER forget God telling me, “I told you I’d take care of it.”
Living to Hear Six means you’ll step back from whatever soup you’re currently in and recognize that God is right there in the middle of it…working all things to His good and perfect plan. He’s the master orchestrator. He’s got this.
