God and You: A Faith History Worth Remembering - Part II

In Part 2 of this powerful series, Terri reveals how a random connection with a nurse in her educator program became the unexpected answer to her prayers. Discover how God orchestrated circumstances beyond her imagination. 

But this isn't just a story with a happy outcome – it's about the profound lesson of remembering God's faithfulness in our darkest moments. With candid reflection, Terri unpacks the vital practice of creating 'historical markers' in our relationship with God. 

Embrace Jeremiah 17:7-8 as a powerful image of why remembering past victories strengthens our faith during seasons of drought. 

Remembering What God Has Done - Part II Resource
Don't miss Part 3, where Terri will share practical ways to rediscover God's presence in your own story, even in moments where He seemed absent."

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Transcript

Hi friends, you are listening to Part 2 of God and You Have a History. 

Here’s a brief recap of Part I. December 2011 I quit my nursing job. I called it a step of faith based on my belief “God causes everything to work together for good according to Terri’s plans and desires”. Those were the days I trusted in my wisdom and brought God in on an as needed basis. One good decision existed among the lousy ones: my enrollment in a Nurse Educator program.

Key point here. I knew no one in the first class of the Program, but I found my attention drawn to one nurse who sat across the room. I had this feeling I should get to know her. But I am an introvert and figuring out a conversation starter doesn’t come easy. So, I ignored the prompting in my heart that January in 2012.

Okay. Fast forward to July, the start date of seven months of unemployment. Deep discouragement had set in when I began attending the second class of the educator program. 

It just so happened that the nurse previously mentioned took a seat beside me in that class. Each week, we shared work and personal stories. 

During the fourth week of the class, my new acquaintance surprised me. She offered to get me an interview with her Nurse Manager. 

I never saw it coming.

There are three views we can take on how that happened.

1.    Luck or coincidence. By chance, I enrolled, met this nurse, and got an interview.

2.    It was a timing issue. Eventually I would have found, applied, and gotten the interview. Except, the position was for a clinical nurse specialist in research. This is not a job I would have thought I was qualified to apply for. 

Or,

3.    God aligned the circumstances, the opportunity, and the people working it out to perfection.

While amazed by the opportunity, the hurdles ahead of me increased my anxiety. My future in nursing rested on how well I answered interview questions from the Nurse Manager and others. And here I go again. Relying on my performance rather than relying on God to assist and direct my actions, my words. 

When the job offer came, it was clear God’s intervention looked nothing like what I could have imagined or orchestrated.

God worked it out according to His plan and purpose for me. Through the kindness and help of a nurse and the grace of God, I ended up in a fascinating area of nursing. 

This is more than a happy ending. It is a historical marker stating God showed up in my life.  

This truth is based on God’s request that we remember Him. In the Bible, God repeatedly asked his people to remember.

Jesus asked the same of his disciples. All of us are to refer to historical markers in our relationship with God.

Why is this so important?

Because under the pressure of fear, regret, helplessness, or anxiety you will cry out, “God, do you see me, do you hear me?”

Questions and doubts will surge as you linger in the silence, the waiting, and those dark hours. 

For those reasons, God says remember. Remember when and how I showed up and cared for you. The Lord knows your memory revitalizes hope, soothes your nerves, and assures you. Though you can’t see Him working, you stand confident your Lord is with you and for you.

We will always face challenges to our faith. In 2017, I would once again need to apply Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): we are assured of what we hope for and confident of what we do not see.

While the circumstance was different in 2017, if you expect me to say faith was easier this time, then you’re mistaken. Faith is like a muscle. If not flexed and used, it will atrophy.

Once again, I let silence manipulate me to analyze my next move, rewrite my resume, and join nursing organizations. And then I remembered.

·         be patient 

·         rest in assurance God is aware

·         offer up confident hope. 

·         trust God to show the way 

So, I strengthened my faith by re-reading my chronicle from the 2012 season. My words revived memories of the pain and despair and the way my relationship with God matured. I read the details on when and how He showed up. 

Remembering stabilized my trust just as it threatened to crumble.

Also, I hung Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) on my office wall. This verse created a powerful image resonating with my heart.

It says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water.” 

The tree can represent faith. 

The verse goes on, “Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.” 

Imagine it. You are a strongly rooted tree, a woman anchored with trust in God. You take on the heat and do not wilt or crumble. In other words, you can bear any silence and tolerate the waiting. 

Here’s your takeaway nugget: Relate to God as an active partner in your life and gain a faith history you can rely on.

The strength of your faith is based on the depth of your relationship with God. A growing relationship with God illuminates how, when, and where he shows up. Wisdom tells you to make it a memory and not forget.

However, sometimes reflection on a past event does not reveal God’s presence or work. In my experience, the friends and counselors who have challenged my interpretation of the past revealed a new perspective. A situation where I depicted God as absent or uninvolved, they see clearly what I cannot. Their perspective gives me new insight and changes my view. 

That’s the way it is with hindsight.

In Part 3, I show you how to re-examine past events within your story so you may discover God with you and for you.

Thank you for listening. If you found this episode inspiring, please share it with others. And to God be the glory. 

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Until next time.