9 “As high as the sky is above the earth
are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For just as rain and snow fall from the sky
and do not return there, but water the earth,
causing it to bud and produce,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth —
it will not return to me unfulfilled;
but it will accomplish what I intend,
and cause to succeed what I sent it to do.”
-------
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. [Isaiah 55:8 (NIV)]
“Kim, you’re a good employee and the residents love you, but due to budget cuts, your job is being eliminated.” I was shocked to hear these words from the director of the assisted-living community where I was working at the time. I was sad because I would miss the friends I had grown to love there. But I had been praying for a new adventure, and God used the loss of my job to launch me into full-time ministry with people in Romania who were elderly and homeless.God’s ways are higher than mine, so although I didn’t realize it, my job at the assisted-living community had prepared me for my new work with at-risk elderly people in another country. God used the job I had just lost, which I had never expected to take in the first place, to prepare me for the next season of my life.
When something happens that we don’t understand, we can choose to trust God, who sees the big picture of our lives. In each experience of our lives and every challenging situation we face, we can trust that God is working for good.
Read more from the author, here.
More from Kim Jackson
I love to “brag on God,” as I had the opportunity to do in today's meditation. But there is so much more to that story!
When my position at the assisted living community was elimated, it was actually an answer to prayer. Even though I loved the elderly there, I had been asking God to give me a new adventure. When a friend told me about the growing population of elderly people who were homeless in Romania, I knew it was God’s next assignment for me. Immediately after I lost my job I began raising support, and within three months I was in Romania!
Now, six years later, I have been to Romania many times, and I direct Elder Orphan Care, the non-profit ministry that God birthed from my experiences. “Elder orphan” simply refers to the growing population of older adults who have no one to care for them.
I have the privilege of taking teams to Romania twice a year to share God’s love and do practical acts of service. Stateside, I enjoy traveling the country to speak and raise awareness and resources to fund our services to elderly people in need. I often tell the story of Maria, who is pictured with me above. When her husband died she couldn’t keep her humble home, so she sold it and gave the money to someone she trusted, asking him to secure an apartment for her. Instead, he left the country, leaving Maria homeless. After living on the streets for seven years, she suffered a stroke. Thankfully she was taken to a home where our pastor friend is caring for elderly who have no where else to go. Now Maria has shelter, food, medical care, and best of all, God’s love!
The world is aging faster than ever before. By 2020 there will be more people over age 65 than children under age 5 for the first time in recorded history. The Bible often mentions widows and orphans as those needing our care. Many elder orphans today are no doubt echoing the prayer found in Psalm 71:9: “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.” God has positioned Elder Orphan Care “for such a time as this.” But none of this would have happened without the loss of my job!
I’m 60 now and in some ways I fit the “elder orphan” description. I’m not married, my parents and older sibling are deceased, and what family I do have is several states away. I’m a missionary, so I’m dependent on God’s goodness through financial supporters. But the difference in my life is that I have a loving extended family, a large circle of friends, and I belong to an amazing church body. I count it a privilege to serve those who do not have the blessings that I enjoy.
It would be wonderful if the readers of The Upper Room would pray for Elder Orphan Care and those we serve. Our ministry has been asked to help at-risk elderly in several other countries, including the U.S. We hope to do so as the Lord leads and provides.
You can find prayer points at www.elderorphancare.com, on our Facebook page, and at my personal blog, www.wowdeewow.com, where I often write about our precious elderly friends. I am so grateful that the ministry of The Upper Room has connected us! [Kim Jackson]
I love to “brag on God,” as I had the opportunity to do in today's meditation. But there is so much more to that story!When my position at the assisted living community was elimated, it was actually an answer to prayer. Even though I loved the elderly there, I had been asking God to give me a new adventure. When a friend told me about the growing population of elderly people who were homeless in Romania, I knew it was God’s next assignment for me. Immediately after I lost my job I began raising support, and within three months I was in Romania!
Now, six years later, I have been to Romania many times, and I direct Elder Orphan Care, the non-profit ministry that God birthed from my experiences. “Elder orphan” simply refers to the growing population of older adults who have no one to care for them.
I have the privilege of taking teams to Romania twice a year to share God’s love and do practical acts of service. Stateside, I enjoy traveling the country to speak and raise awareness and resources to fund our services to elderly people in need. I often tell the story of Maria, who is pictured with me above. When her husband died she couldn’t keep her humble home, so she sold it and gave the money to someone she trusted, asking him to secure an apartment for her. Instead, he left the country, leaving Maria homeless. After living on the streets for seven years, she suffered a stroke. Thankfully she was taken to a home where our pastor friend is caring for elderly who have no where else to go. Now Maria has shelter, food, medical care, and best of all, God’s love!
The world is aging faster than ever before. By 2020 there will be more people over age 65 than children under age 5 for the first time in recorded history. The Bible often mentions widows and orphans as those needing our care. Many elder orphans today are no doubt echoing the prayer found in Psalm 71:9: “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.” God has positioned Elder Orphan Care “for such a time as this.” But none of this would have happened without the loss of my job!
I’m 60 now and in some ways I fit the “elder orphan” description. I’m not married, my parents and older sibling are deceased, and what family I do have is several states away. I’m a missionary, so I’m dependent on God’s goodness through financial supporters. But the difference in my life is that I have a loving extended family, a large circle of friends, and I belong to an amazing church body. I count it a privilege to serve those who do not have the blessings that I enjoy.
It would be wonderful if the readers of The Upper Room would pray for Elder Orphan Care and those we serve. Our ministry has been asked to help at-risk elderly in several other countries, including the U.S. We hope to do so as the Lord leads and provides.
You can find prayer points at www.elderorphancare.com, on our Facebook page, and at my personal blog, www.wowdeewow.com, where I often write about our precious elderly friends. I am so grateful that the ministry of The Upper Room has connected us! [Kim Jackson]
The Author
Kim Jackson (North Carolina, USA)
Thought for the Day:
God is always working for my good.
Prayer:
Dear God, help us to trust you with whatever happens each day of our lives. Amen.
Prayer focus: Someone who has lost a job
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