PART 16 I AM AN OVERCOMER

What does it mean to depend on God?

16

Depending on God, Who Is Our Refuge

 

Has God ever come through for you when it appeared that all was lost?                            

For my family and myself, such an occurrence took place in the early 80s when I was attending Bible College. In this remote location in western Massachusetts, we were embarking on God’s call. I was excited to learn whatever God had for me in the classroom and outside of it. I was blessed with having received a full scholarship that provided our lodging, food, and schooling. However, other expenses needed attention.

In my spare time, I’d try to find part-time work. Little did I realize that this was a very depressed area in this regard. I had a background in a few areas and figured I’d find some outlet. I worked for my father in his restaurant as a short-order cook, in a machine shop making valves for the Alaska Pipeline, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics at the state college where I grew up.

So, I knocked on this door and on that door, and nothing opened. I decided to sign up with the unemployment office in the area, where I provided them with my background and visited them at least once a week to see if anything was available. Eventually, I was able to secure a part-time job driving a bus for a public school. The pay was minimal, but nonetheless, I thanked God for it. Finally, a big break occurred.

There was a factory near where we were living at the time. I found out they were making various parts for the US military. So, I decided to give them a visit. They told me there were no openings and thanked me for trying. But I wouldn’t quit. Week after week, I’d show up asking if anything was available. The person in charge of hiring told me in a nice way that I was wasting my time. I thanked him for at least listening to me. And then it happened.

I showed up again with a similar request. However, this time, the response was different. I was informed that one of the workers had recently quit, and there was a job opening. If I was interested, I needed to show up the following morning and learn how to run a machine that would reconfigure a large piece of metal that would be used to construct the wings of F-15 fighter jets. With anticipation, I showed up with a notebook in hand, was instructed how to operate the machine, wrote down the procedures along with pertinent diagrams, and operated it myself, and the job was mine.

I couldn’t believe it. I got a 40-hour work-week job making great money. All was going well until something drastic happened. The worker’s union contract was up and needed to be renegotiated. A hefty raise with additional benefits was proposed by the worker’s representative. Unfortunately, what the company ownership and administrative personnel offered was much less, and so a stalemate was at hand. The workers went on strike. I was back to having no work and no money. Weeks went on without a resolution.

In the meantime, I heard about a potential job opening being advertised by two of the pastors from the ministry where I was attending Bible College. This entailed buying and selling gold and silver, whether in the form of coins, jewelry, etc. I showed up where the workshop was being held, learned how to weigh and buy these metals, and was offered the job. However, the income was based on a percentage of the profits, 30%.

I thought this was quite low since I had to supply my car to get to and from the business location, which was a 2-hour round trip from my residence. So, I requested 50%. After much deliberation and a guarantee that they’d honor the percentage request, we shook hands, and I was on my way to a new business venture.

This entailed finding a suitable location to set up shop. After visiting many cities and towns within an hour’s radius from the campus, one location had no gold-silver shops. It was located in Catskill, NY. I went there to see if there was any rental space available near the busy center of town.

To my surprise, I received a phone call from the factory stating that the contract had been settled and they were ready to reopen within a week. I was in a quandary. I didn’t think this impasse would be settled this soon. Immediately, I contacted the two pastors and told them I was considering returning to my prior job. However, if they reassured me that the previously agreed upon income profit percentage would be honored, I’d quit the machine shop job and work for them. They essentially said, don’t worry; the agreement about the income parameters wouldn’t change. So, I called the factory office back, thanking them for hiring me and that, unfortunately, I wouldn’t be returning.

Eventually, I found a vacant storefront on the main street of the city. The landlord agreed on the proposed rental fee, and I got to work on getting it ready for the grand opening. A storefront sign was ordered, furniture was brought in, advertising was underway, and the tools needed to weigh the purchased precious metals were ready to go.

People started bringing all sorts of items: class rings, necklaces, coins, stopwatches, and even items that weren’t of the precious metal variety. Records were kept every day of each purchase, documenting the seller’s name, address, phone number, a description of the item, the date of purchase, and the amount paid. The work week was from Monday to Friday. On Saturday morning, I’d take the items to a nearby refinery where they’d weigh each one and pay me their value based on the gold and silver prices that the precious metal market closed on the day before. Then, I’d go to one of the pastor’s homes and give him 50 % of the profits.

During the first week of operation, I met with both pastors. I was thankful that I could work with two highly thought of men of God. After going over the expenditures, income, and profit with them, I gave one of them their share of the revenue. To my surprise, he told me that the amount of money I gave him wasn’t enough. I didn’t know what he was talking about. Both of them previously concurred we had agreed on my share of the profits being 50%, but now they were saying that my share was 30%. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. When I brought up the 50% agreement, they said that things had changed. I was essentially told to take it or leave it.

As you can imagine, this didn’t sit well with me. I gave up a good-paying job. I was reassured more than once of the financial agreement. And it all went up in smoke. What was I to do? I figured I had no other recourse but to see this through.

After nine months, the two pastors told me they were going to relocate the business to a nearby town they believed would generate more revenue. As for me, there was no consideration of raising the profit percentage. Before the move, they decided to hold a party to celebrate this new business location that, unbeknownst to me, was made with a third party, who was also in the gold and silver business.

When I arrived at the reception, only a handful of us were there. After each of the partners gave their vision for the new business venture, the 3^rd party gave money to the two pastors as an investment into the operation. The amount was $5000.00. I waited, hoping for a gesture of giving me a small share for running the business successfully. But none was forthcoming.

And then my temper flared up. Here I was, driving two hours a day to and from work, leaving at 7 am and returning at 6 pm five days a week, running the entire store, putting excessive miles on my car, not seeing my family much, and barely meeting our financial needs.

James 5:1, 4 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

Then, some verses from the Book of James came to mind, which I expressed before them all, and I walked out. I went home and told my wife what had transpired. Now, what were we going to do? We prayed to God to open up another job opportunity.

Within a week, I received a phone call from the Dean of Students at the Bible College, who asked me to meet him at his office regarding a job offer to work on campus. He mentioned that there was a teaching position available in the high school to teach mathematics. Somehow, he discovered that I had obtained a college certification in this area. I gladly accepted the job offer and returned home gleefully expressing to my wife this new opportunity and the faithfulness of God for answering our supplication.

With that said, here are a couple of verses that demonstrate God’s faithfulness.

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge (a shelter from rain, storm, or danger) and strength (confidence), a very present (accessible) help (assistance) in trouble (describes people in tight places, in a corner and unable to get out; and when that occurs, the admonition is, “Don’t be afraid!”¹⁰¹).

Genesis 31:42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

The verse from the Book of Genesis has to do with the story of Jacob and Laban. If you’re unfamiliar with this story, I suggest reading about it (Genesis chapters 29-31).

I’d like to leave you with another biblical story about God being a refuge to a man of God who was king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Any idea who this is? Let’s find out. Please turn your Bible to the Book of 2 Kings.

 

Suggested Reading: 2 Kings 18:1-19:37

A man named Hezekiah became the new king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah at age twenty-five. His father, Ahaz, had defiled the temple, closed its doors, and stopped the Levitical ministry. The temple worship was at the heart of the Jewish nation, [and,] if that was wrong, everything else would be wrong.¹⁰²

On the first day of his reign, King Hezekiah commanded the priests to clean the temple inside and out, removing all the remnants of idol worship. It took sixteen days to complete the work. Also, all of the high places, the places of pagan worship, were commanded to be destroyed. Because of his trust and adherence to his God in his daily life, the agricultural prosperity of the country returned.¹⁰³ However, this doesn’t mean he always made the right decisions.

In the 14^th year of his reign, the army of Sennacherib, king of Assyria invaded Judah and was heading toward Jerusalem. Before this incident, the kings of Judah had been paying tribute money to the leaders of this nation for protection from invasion. Initially, Hezekiah decided to continue in this manner, but eventually, he changed his mind.

2 Kings 18:28-30 Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Aware of Hezekiah’s change of heart, the king of Assyria returned with a delegation for a second time. A messenger of his named Rab-shakeh spoke to Eliakim, who was over the household of the king of Judah, and told him that the enemy king was demanding ransom and that if payment wasn’t made not even Hezekiah’s God could save them. Eliakim immediately conveyed this message to the king.

Hezekiah urgently went into the temple of God. While there, he sent men to meet with the prophet Isaiah and convey the situation surrounding the King of Assyria, hoping that the Lord would give him a word in response. When the king’s servants told Isaiah what was happening, the Lord responded to the prophet with a clear, resounding message of deliverance.

2 Kings 19:7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

Isaiah let them know that something significant would happen to the king of Assyria, i.e., a rumor would cause him to retreat and head home, where his fate would be sealed, his own death. In the meantime, Sennacherib sent more messengers to Jerusalem, bringing with them a handwritten letter to be given to Hezekiah. In it, the God of Israel was mocked again. Judah’s king decided to bring it with him into the temple and spread it out before the Lord. Then, he proceeded to pray to Him with exultation and praise, followed by speaking the words from the letter and asking for deliverance.

2 Kings 19:32 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

God answered his prayer by giving a word to the prophet Isaiah, whose response was sent back to him. Hezekiah was given reassurance that Sennacherib’s army would not enter Jerusalem.

2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

It came to pass that God used in his spiritual army an angel to carry out, in what manner we don’t know, the death of 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army. At the same time, there was intelligence that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, was to join his forces with those of Lower Egypt and attack Assyria. So, Sennacherib and the remaining army turned back home.

The first thing he did when he arrived back in the capital city of Nineveh was go into the house of Nisroch, his god, to worship. Little did he know that his two sons were waiting for him. They took their swords and killed him.

What a great story of deliverance in the midst of impending defeat. Hezekiah went into the temple of God to offer prayer, just as we could approach God in petition no matter where our location was. There will be times in our lives when voices from within or without will proclaim that there’s no help for us in God. But if we learn to lean on His word in the power of the Spirit, God will come through for us in His time and manner.

Here are some more verses to rely upon when all seems lost.

Hebrews 13:5c … for he hath said, I will never leave (withdraw My presence from)thee, nor forsake (forsake helping; not forsaking someone in a state of defeat or helplessness in the midst of hostile circumstances¹⁰⁴) thee.

1 Samuel 17:4, 45-46a And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span… Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand;…

What we’ll look at next will help us in answering the question, what does it mean to sell out for God?