Back in the mid-2000s, I received a cold call from a job placement service I had once used. They were representing a firm that had a position for which I was qualified and were wondering if I would consider interviewing. While I had a satisfying job at the time with a really good civil engineering firm, I agreed to see what this other firm had to offer. I wasn’t committing to anything and figured it certainly couldn’t hurt to take a look.

Over the next couple of weeks, I went on two interviews, found their proposal attractive, and eventually agreed to take the position. The placement agency gave me a copy of their contract, insurance information, and other paperwork to look over and sign. I took everything home and planned to review it over the weekend.

Then I began to have second thoughts.

Perhaps it was cold feet but I’m pretty sure it was the Holy Spirit gently smacking me across the head. I really liked the company where I was currently employed and the owner had proven himself to be very generous. By that time I had worked for him for almost ten years. If I took this new position I would be starting over from scratch . . . actually worse, since what I was actually being offered was only a short-term contract with the option to be hired full-time. Is this a move I really wanted to make?

I remember my stomach being in knots and not being able to sleep. Sitting at the dining room table at three in the morning, I made “pros and cons” lists. I prayed and asked God to give me direction. In the end, I told the placement service I had changed my mind and would not be taking the position after all. Needless to say, I put the agent in an awkward position with the hiring firm and I burned some bridges that day.

Fast forward several years to the start of the 2008 recession. The economy tanked and, as a result, development projects were either put on hold or abandoned altogether – not a great situation for a civil engineering firm such as mine. For us it began with a round of layoffs, then a second, and later a third. Accompanying these layoffs was the elimination of all non-essential benefits (bonuses, company outings, insurance compensation above the legal minimum, etc.) and hours began to be cut. Over the next year and a half, we were reduced to a skeleton crew working barely thirty hours a week and, in some cases, at voluntarily reduced salaries. The firm was less than two months from closing its doors when things slowly began to recover.

Looking back, I knew my decision several years earlier to stay put was the correct choice. Although I was over $10,000 in debt, thanks to my seniority, job position, and valued work ethic, I at least still had a job. I’m pretty sure that would not have been the case if I had switched firms. I would have been a recent hire, targeting me as one of the first employees to be let go. Even if that wasn’t the case, it was a small office and I expect its parent firm shut it down relatively early to cut costs.

That is why I am sure it was the Holy Spirit working in me that night many years earlier. God knew where I needed to be. He had a plan for my life and spoke to me right when I needed to hear from Him. While I may not have realized it in the midst of the recession, after we were back on our feet, I fully recognized God’s providence over my life.

Over the past ten years, both I and the firm I work for have recovered. My debt has been paid off and I have built up a healthy savings account. My firm’s benefits, including quarterly bonuses and company excursions, were re-instituted many years ago.

Which brings me to today and the current COVID-19 pandemic. My personal concern is not so much for my physical health but for the potential economic challenges I may face in the months to come. Like everyone else I am hoping this is a small blip with things resolving quickly and the long term economic impact minimized. But that vision is uncertain. Businesses in certain industries have already been hit hard may never recover. Others may be able to survive for a while, but the longer this lasts the greater the chance there will be layoffs, work stoppages, and closures.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t concerned or anxious about some of the specific ways my life may be affected. Who wouldn’t be? Even the apostle Paul, who could find joy in any situation, including prison (Philippians 1: 12-19), pleaded with God to remove his suffering (2 Cor. 12:7,8). However, looking forward I have confidence that God will provide for me through this time in a manner that He knows is best.

Time and time again, my pastors preach this truth from scripture: Whenever you are uncertain about the future and question whether or not God will see you through, look back and see how God has been faithful to you in the past. God was faithful to me in 2008. He will be faithful to me and my family in 2020.

I realize there are some who would question this and perhaps even wonder how they can love or trust a God that would allow these things to happen. If that happens to be you, I would ask this question: When you fail to honor God or keep his commands, do you believe that God still loves you? If your answer is no, then it makes sense that you would have a hard time trusting Him now. However, if your answer is yes, God does still love you (2 Tim. 2:13), then I would encourage you with this: Continue to love God as He loves you, even when His actions don’t line up with your desires or expectations. For when God acts in a way contrary to what we want, He is not acting out of the same selfish motivations that drive mankind. Instead, He is motivated by love and a desire to provide what He knows is best for us.

“Blessed be the LORD . . . not one word has failed of all His good promise”
                                                            1 Kings 8:56