This month God really spoke clearly to me. I was moving up in the ranks in the application process towards a job that I rrrrrreeeeaaaallllllllyyyy wanted. I mean, I couldn’t think about anything else! This job would’ve incorporated my love for math—how much better can it get? And my resume was pretty strongly leaning towards it because I’ve worked with an accountant before. Needless to say, I was ecstatic! Nothing seemed more perfect than me working part-time and balancing it with my IHOP commitments. 

And, oh, how gooood it would’ve felt to have a paycheck I could count on every two weeks. But that was just an added bonus, it wasn’t *about* the money. I really felt peace about accepting the job after praying about it, so I was confident there would be a new season coming in my life that would accelerate me towards a new twist in God’s plan for me.

I was right, but not in the way I had thought. [hint towards another soon-to-come blog!]

So I did what any confident applicant does: I wrote out a budget. And it was a great budget! I realized that I could give away a bunch of money. I wanted to stand with many of my friends and many of the ministries God has laid on my heart with that paycheck. I know it sounds peculiar when said this way, but I wanted to ooze God’s love out of every penny I earned. I wanted to bring encouragement and strength to the people I see living every day for God’s causes. I wanted to partner with God to help bring the answer to their prayers.

I don’t think people realize how big of a difference one partner can make.

I was ready for it all to begin. I had a second interview scheduled and I was deciding on what to wear to it. What I’m about to say didn’t happen as theatrically as it sounds. A voice didn’t boom out of heaven, no smoke appeared to engulf me, and no choir of angels surrounded me. All of the sudden, in the midst of me talking about these dreams I had, I simply realized what God was saying right then.

“You can bring in the money to the house of prayer. But who will bring in the people?”

As I heard it, I spoke it. I didn’t even know what I was saying until I reached the end. Then Jared, not missing a beat, said, “He already has the money.” I knew exactly then what it meant. God was telling me that I really could work hard and bring in a little bit of money to all of these good things. And it would be great. But He has already called me to stand WITH the house of prayer. To give my LIFE. And He was promising that he would therefore provide for me. Another friend told me, “You are not mainly called as a finance-giver, although you do give more than most [by giving your entire lives]. You are mainly called to be the recipient of the giving.”

Through many other things in addition to what I listed, God confirmed His heart in this area of my life. God has called me to stand on the wall of intercession primarily in life. He has ordained me to be His friend, ever growing closer to Him in the place of prayer day & night. He doesn’t want me to split my attention or focus by living both as a missionary AND in the workplace (at least not right now). 

What blesses me more than anything throughout this entire ordeal was that He reaffirmed my life’s calling! He spoke it again to me! He wanted to absolutely ensure that He is the one calling me to live the way I do every day, which is the way of trusting Him and getting to know Him AS AN OCCUPATION.

Thank you, THANK YOU, Jesus, for such a wonderful reaffirmation in my heart!