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Coming Forth As Gold
by Shari Weigerstorfer O Lord, Thou hast seen my oppression; judge my case (Lamentations 53:59, NASB). One day, I received a letter from an attorney. I was listed as one of several defendants who were being sued in what is called a nuisance claim. I had two choices: I could pay the demand, or I could fight it legally. There was a good chance that if I fought it, my legal fees would exceed the amount of the demand. I had a decision to make, and I decided to pray about it. As I searched the scriptures, over and over again, I was reminded of how much God is willing to fight for and defend His people. I realized that if I simply paid the demand, I would not be giving the Lord the opportunity to fight the battle for me. Considering our relationship and His place in my life, I decided I owed Him more than that. If He was willing to fight for me, I should be willing to trust Him. I found a Christian attorney who immediately counseled me to settle. I wrote him a letter beginning with, "I know you will understand why I am choosing to fight this..." and I went on to explain my position. His response was, "I understand." He respected my decision (although without much faith in it) and agreed to defend me. To be honest, my faith wasn't very high either. I had no idea what the Judge of the Universe would decide. Perhaps He would choose to intervene; perhaps He wouldn't. But I set my will to receive the verdict as from His hand and emotionally gave Him permission not to intervene should He decide not to. Knowing that my decision was made out of respect for the Lord gave me peace. During that time, I learned a valuable lesson about keeping my eyes on the Lord rather than on the progress of the battle. The updates I received from my attorney shook my emotions until I made up my mind to ignore them as best I could. Ephesians 6:13 came to mind: "...having done all, stand." (NASB) Then, one glorious day, I was notified that the plaintiffs, for reasons unknown, had simply dropped the suit. It was over. The attorney fees were less than half of what the demand had been. With a light heart, I paid the fees, remembering Job 23:10: "When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (NASB)." Shari Weigerstorfer is a free-lance Christian writer, native to the West Coast of America. When not indulging in her passion for travel, she writes from her home in Singapore. Other articles by Shari can be found on her site at Faithwriters.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |