I’ve recently entered a place in my life where I can look back and clearly see God’s hand at work. I’m even willing to say that this is the first time I’ve ever seen God’s faithfulness and providence so clearly.

I’m still young so I know there are many, many more of these experiences to come. But sitting in this place, at this moment, is so cool. And reassuring. 

Growing up I learned all about God’s will, God’s faithfulness and God’s sovereignty. I had the head knowledge, but when a tough season came after college, I struggled to trust God in my heart. 

I applied for job after job and got rejection after rejection. And sometimes, not even rejections — just silence. No return emails or calls, no response. 

It was a really discouraging time. I remember many nights crying in my parents’ living room because I was a college graduate with good grades and a good resumé, who had also spent the summer after graduation at a graduate certification program in Denver, but was still unemployed. 

I wasn’t just unemployed. I wasn’t even getting interviews. I was so discouraged and defeated. I felt aimless. I didn’t understand why God was shutting all of the doors I tried to open.

The Master’s hand

Then, one Sunday, my brother and I visited a new church in Birmingham. Our family had moved churches while we were away in college so we were both looking for a new church home. Everything at church was great and we went home. 

Later that afternoon I got a Facebook Messenger notification from a friend of a friend. A girl I knew a little bit, but not very well. We were in our mutual friend’s wedding together and had seen each other at various events when our circles overlapped. 

Her message said something like, “Hey! I saw you at church this morning, but I wasn’t able to catch you to speak. If you’re interested, my roommate is starting a new Bible study group and we’d love to have you.”

Well, I took her up on her offer. I joined that small group and then eventually that church. 

One week at Bible study, I was telling her about my job hunt. She then put me in contact with her former boss at The Alabama Baptist.

“If she’s got any job you can do, I bet she’ll give it to you,” she told me. 

And she was right. Soon after that I began working at The Alabama Baptist as a marketing/event intern for a big upcoming event. 

Unrelenting and eternal

Five years later, I’m still working at The Alabama Baptist (full time now, of course), and that girl and her roommate are two of my closest friends.

God’s hand in that story is evident. Not just His hand in my job search and me randomly deciding to visit The Church at Brook Hills that Sunday, but all the way back in my childhood and teenager years when God brought this friend of a friend into my life and was shaping my future even then.

The Bible is full of pictures of God’s unrelenting, eternal faithfulness to His people. Having this personal experience with and understanding of the depth of His sovereignty only strengthens my faith and leads me to love and know Him more and more.

I consider myself blessed to so clearly be able to back look on that hard season and see God’s plan. Christians don’t always get to see the full picture on this side of heaven. I know times are coming in my life when I don’t understand what God is doing and why. But I can face those times with confidence knowing that God never fails. 

God is faithful. There are lifetimes witnessing to His faithfulness before me, there will be lifetimes telling of His faithfulness after me, and His sovereign hand will be faithful throughout my lifetime as well.