Why, Lord?
Our routine used to be simple. My husband, Gene would come home, give me a kiss, head to the kitchen counter, toss his car keys and check the mail.
But that all changed. “Did you hear from the attorney?” I asked as he walked in the house. Often he had bad news. And to make things more painful, the attorney’s fees to defend us added as quickly as our stress and worry.
It took only 7 months to put us in this devastating situation. We had no clue that when Gene accepted the controller position of a small company, that it was going under. Gene tried everything he could to save it. But all in futility. Bankruptcy became the only answer, leaving a huge debt to the IRS.
And that’s when we became aware of the 100% penalty law. It mandates that the company’s officers are personally responsible to pay the debt owed to the IRS. That left Gene with a huge portion that we couldn’t pay in a lifetime.
I spent sleepless nights asking the Lord why? Why us?
“We won’t have too many Christmas gifts this year,” I told our ten-year-old. His two younger brothers also had to understand. I bit my lower lip when I tried to explain. We weren’t poor, we were only victims of an unfair law
“It could be worse,” Gene said one night, “they could take our house too.”
He was right. I wanted to praise God, to thank Him. But tears of fear burned each time Gene was summoned to court. More bad news, more demands to hand over all our savings and the reminder that interest was accumulating.
Lord, is this what it means to feel helpless? That’s what we are. We need you, Lord!
As we took these steps, God’s answer came as trickles of honey into the bitterness of our world.
1. Change your focus and look toward the source of your provision.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1
2. Remove any anxious thoughts of being alone on this journey.
“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.” Psalm 121:3-5
3. Commit to obedience, even when the pantry is empty.
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” - Malachi 3:10
4. Trust that your prayers are being heard and your cries touch God’s heart.
"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry…" Psalm 34:15
5. Count on receiving the best, the very best God has to offer.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with “whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17
6. Establish a correct order to your priorities. God first, above all.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” - Proverbs 3:9
7. Stand firm on the power of God, believing in His supernatural abilities.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” - 2 Corinthians 9:8
8. Acknowledge your weakness and embrace His strength.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13
9. Choose to let sincerity rule your heart and honesty guide your attitude.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” - Luke 16:10
10. Rest peacefully at night, knowing God already knows what you need.
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7
God knows what you need.
God knew what we needed. He knew the anxiety that robbed our peace. But He also knew the answer.
I called the attorney to ask if he could give us a little longer to pay his fee. “I understand,” he said, “I have good news and I want you and your husband to come to my office.”
He had reached an agreement with the IRS for a fraction of the debt. And we borrowed from our parents in order to pay it. Weeks later, Gene got a job with a salary large enough to eventually pay back what we borrowed and send the final payment to the attorney.
When our bank account had been nearly zero, we had seen ourselves as victims. Instead, all along we were victors as we possessed the abundance of God’s promises. We had the richness of His Word and the wealth of His provision.
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Janet Perez Eckles is an international speaker and author of four books. Her best-selling release, “Simply Salsa: Dancing Without Fear at God’s Fiesta” invites you to experience the simplicity of finding joy even in the midst of hardship, With engaging stories, Simply salsa gives practical steps to overcome heartache and celebrate life once again.
Image Credit: Thinkstock.com and Unsplash.com
Originally published Tuesday, 31 January 2017.
