God Is There

A few posts ago I wrote about how I had gone from feeling "six foot tall and bulletproof" to a nervous target for down-sizing.

I prayed hard for my results at work to improve but they didn't, instead they went from bad to worse. To my credit I prayed not only for good results but more than that I prayed for God's will to be done. It wasn't His will to pick me up and carry me over this valley, instead He walked me through it. It feels a bit melodramatic to worry about my microscopic problems but I am trying to remember this lesson for at time when I'm faced with a larger trial.

Now a few months later I see the wisdom of His choice. If He had fixed all my problems I would be the same person I was four months ago. Instead I learned so much more about the biology and equations that drive the results (good and bad) of my business. Armed with this knowledge we implemented equipment and strategies that made significant improvements for this year and the future.

One of God's names is YHWH-SHAMMAH which is translated "The LORD is There". As Christians, this name should give us peace in the face of danger. Look around at the world and you can't help but feel sorry for people as they react in panic to a crumbling economy in 2008 and the H1N1 virus this year.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4