Failing the Job Interview Before You Even Start

The job seeker can find and even be overwhelmed with lots of resources to help build a good resume, how to write a great cover letter, how to dress for success, even how to present yourself in networks and interviews. But, there are very few resources to help us correctly deal with our attitude issues and be ready to successfully interview for our next career opportunity.

This is precisely why I wrote the book, Unemployed: Life in the Wilderness – A Practical Guide for Living with Unemployment. In today’s job search, if we don’t learn to deal with issues of mind and heart we will not be able to achieve our goals of getting a productive job.

My book is not about “how to get a new job” it is about “how to be mentally and spiritually ready to get a new job.”

The interview is a spiritual battleground. We’ve got to overcome things within ourselves before we can overcome unemployment. Human Resource Managers across the board agree that unless you deal with issues of attitude you are failing the interview before you even start.

To get a copy of my book use the link to Amazon.com or purchase a signed copy through the PayPal link on this site. You'll be glad you did.

Doesn’t God Care?

Being unemployed is scary! Things are happening over which we have no control. We can feel helpless and worthless as more and more employers decide we're not right for their job openings.

This desperate fear can even occur to those of us who consider ourselves Christians. We go to church, we pray, we try to live a God-pleasing life, we may even read our Bibles. But here we are - unemployed. This isn't supposed to happen to us. We're supposed to be God's people - His blessed. What's going on? We are in this terrible predicament, scared, and suffering. Doesn't God care? Why doesn't He do something?

There was a time in the New Testament when the disciples felt the same way. In Mark 4:35-40 they found themselves in a boat, at sea, in a fierce storm. Why were they there? Because Jesus told them to be there (vs. 36). It was a dangerous situation. Some of them were professional fishermen and they were scared (vs. 35). And where was Jesus? He was with them. But He was asleep! As a Christian you know Jesus is with you but do you ever think He's asleep - or just not paying attention? The apostles did. In fact, they came to Him and woke Him up with an accusation. The same accusation we can express when we're going through the storm of unemployment. "Lord, don't You care that we are perishing?"

If they would have stopped and thought about it, they would have figured out that they were right where Christ told them to be. Doing exactly what He had told them to do. If they drowned in the storm so would Jesus because they were in the boat together. But they didn't think it through and they panicked.

You know that, as a Christian, Jesus is with you in this boat of unemployment. In the second half of Matthew 28:20 Jesus said, "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (New Living Translation) Don't panic.
It doesn't make our fear seem so bad when even the apostles could feel the same way we do. When Jesus woke up, He identified the problem. The apostles weren't willing to have faith and ride out the storm trusting that He knew what He was doing.

In spite of the small and fearful faith of the apostles, Jesus calmed the sea. But that's not all He calmed (vs. 40). God has a message for us as we go through the storms of life - a message of reassurance even in the storm of joblessness.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, 

The God who is our salvation. 

Psalm 68:19 (New American Standard Bible - Updated)

Promises, Promises

Once upon a time there was a young man who was hopelessly lost in the forest. He had searched and searched, looked and looked, and still couldn't find his way out. He was becoming frightened. "What happens if I never find my way," he said. "I'll die here in the forest and no one will even know." The young man even embarrassed himself by shedding a few frightened tears.

Then he began to pray. He hadn't prayed before or, at least, not very often. He really didn't even know how to put his need into the correct "official" words of prayer. So he began, "God, if you're there, I need help. My name is Frank, but I guess you know that. I'm really lost, but I guess you know that too. If you help me find help I promise I'll be a good person from now on. I'll go to church every Sunday, or at least I'll try. I'll talk to you more often. I won't break as many of your rules. I'll do anything you want, if you'll just save my life. I'll even be a missionary if that's what you want!"

Suddenly, as he was praying and stumbling along, the young man broke through a hedge of bushes and found himself on a road with a sign that read, "Gas, Food, Phone, Restrooms - 5 Miles." Immediately he gave a huge sigh of relief and finished his prayer with, "Oh, never mind. I found my own way out."

How like Frank we are. When things are tough we try to get God on our side with promises. Promises, Promises. We'll say anything. Promise anything we think will help. We think if God likes what He hears maybe we'll get a miracle.

"For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords.

He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, 

who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 

Deuteronomy 10:17 (New Living Translation)

There was another time when a young man named Peter had gotten himself into trouble. He had climbed out of a perfectly good boat on the Sea of Galilee. Everything had gone fine for a minute or two, then it dawned on him where he was and what he was doing. Even though he was doing a good thing and moving toward his master, Jesus, he realized how much danger he was really in and he began to sink. To his credit, he didn't start making Jesus promises or commitments. He just reached toward Jesus and yelled out, "Save me!" That's all it took. Jesus snatched him out of the danger. He was safe in the arms of his Lord.

Sometimes the best prayers are not the promises but the simple appeals. God doesn't need anything you can offer, but He's waiting for you to just ask His help. Don't try to bribe Him with promises - just cry out and reach for His hand.

"I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 (NLT)

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NLT)

Your 45 Second Infomercial Part 2

When you're planning your 45 second "selling messages" it is important that you remember the difference between the "features" of your story and the "benefits" of those features to the potential employer. For example: "I was born and raised in the Midwest" is a feature. "Therefore I have a very strong work ethic" is a benefit to the employer. "I've lived in six different states" is a feature. "I know how to communicate and work with people of diverse cultures" is a benefit to the employer. "I've learned and used XYZ software" is a feature. "I can learn technical material quickly and put it to practical use in the workplace" is a benefit to the employer.

Ask yourself, "How does what I am or what I've done benefit this company and what they need?" Then, when you give your infomercial, it will meet the needs and desires of the hiring official and the sale will be made. You'll get hired.

Even with your accomplishments - like employee of the month, sales achieved, awards won, or certificates earned - you need to think about how it benefits the prospective hiring company. How do those accomplishments translate into what you can do for the company? People buy products they perceive will give them some kind of benefit. Just saying, "I can do what you need" leaves you on the shelf as just another can-opener. What you can do for the company will get you off the shelf and into the job.

Once you have your "scripts," practice with your family and friends. Get used to hearing your own voice actually saying what you want to communicate. Become familiar with what you practice so that you can very naturally deliver it in a conversational tone.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:29 (New American Standard - Updated)

Remember, whether standing before "kings" or "hiring officials," people who can clearly state their own skills and what they bring to a prospective employer will stand out from the crowd. Good selling!

Selling Yourself in 45 Seconds Part 1

The average job seeker is not equipped to make a positive first impression. At the very earliest steps to a new job we slam the door closed because we are not prepared. If you've wondered why your networking meetings and job interviews never seem to go anywhere, I want you to consider - are you selling yourself? If you were a fantastic new can-opener how would you present yourself?

Infomercial is a good word that's popped into modern usage in the last 25 years or so. It means, "to give information in order to make a commercial transaction." We've all seen infomercials about the latest and greatest products. These kinds of selling messages work! If they didn't, the marketers would move on to a more effective way of getting the consumer to a buying decision. As a job seeker you need to have your own infomercial ready. If you can't sell yourself, why should an employer "buy" and hire you?

The unemployed constantly hear two sentences - one a statement, the other a question. Yet the average unemployed person is not ready to respond to either and, as a result, many miss the opportunity to make the positive first impression that is so crucial to moving through the process to a new job.

The first sentence is a statement. You've heard this from almost anyone you've met during the process of looking for work. Usually early in every job interview, you will hear, "Tell me about yourself." The second common thing we hear in interviews or networking appointments is the question, "What are you looking for?" If you are not prepared for these "sales" opportunities, your chance of getting that job is slim to none. Too many of us leave our responses to spur of the moment spontaneity and we stumble around, hemming and hawing, making a terrible first impression.

When I was a hiring official, one of the responses I heard a lot was, "I just need a job. I'll take anything." This comes across as too desperate and needy - even if that's true. No employer wants to be, "just a job." In their minds you'll move on as soon as something better comes along. Every employer is thinking, "Can this person help me with what I need for this business to succeed." Employers don't hire people for positions they don't really need.

Take the time to write out your responses to these two openings. Remember you don't have much time. The person asking the question isn't giving you permission for a 10 minute, rambling lecture about your background, experience and skills. Television has trained us to have short attention spans when it comes to our buying inquiries. You have 30 to 45 seconds to articulately present yourself. If you can do this well you'll stand out from almost all of the other candidates. [See Part 2 next week]

Sometimes You Get Manna

The circumstances of being unemployed reminds me of the people of Israel's wandering in the wilderness. That's why I titled my book Unemployed: Life in the Wilderness. The day to day struggles of being without work is just like that dry, lonely, desolate, and desperate situation. In a New York Times article of February 22, 2010 entitled "The New Poor," Peter S. Goodman said, "And now they find themselves in the desert of joblessness." I agree. It's obvious to anyone who's been through it. When you're out there in that wasteland of the newspaper classifieds and internet job sites it is just like being in the desert where Israel found themselves.

But, there were blessings there in the wilderness. The people of Israel didn't even recognize it at the time, but God was taking care of them. He provided for them every day. There were probably over two million of them, counting the women and children, yet God provided food and water every day. Sometimes He provided resources so they could buy food (Deuteronomy 2:5), but He didn't always provide money. In the wilderness God provided that strange and wonderful stuff called manna (Exodus 16:4).

Like Israel, when we are wandering in the desert of joblessness, God provides for us in unexpected ways. We can get help from our friends, families, former business associates, churches, and even from "official" sources of government. To get help we don't need to understand exactly what the help involves. When God provides, sometimes you get manna. When it came to the people of Israel they didn't even know what it was. Their reaction was "what is this" (Exodus 16:15)?

When we have a need, whether it's food or a job, God chooses to assist us according to His own plan. It isn't always by providing a job. Sometimes it's allowing other people to be blessed by helping us. Sometimes we can't even identify the specific source of the help. We just feel better after getting it. And, like Israel, we are told to be grateful for the provision without trying to analyze what it is, how it got there, or even how long it's going to fast. It's just good to get it.

Keep moving forward in the wilderness. Keep thanking God for His provision and sometimes you'll get manna.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7 (New Living Translation)

Job Hunting Is Like Wrestling Angels

Experts tell us that the best way to succeed in a job search is to keep at it. When we're discouraged, disappointed, overwhelmed and on the verge of giving up, we must keep going.

I see a wonderful example of that in the Bible book of Genesis, chapter 32, verse 26. Jacob has spent the night wrestling with an angel. It's been tough. At one point the angel dislocates Jacob's hip. That's painful. It reminds me of some of the painful experiences of my job search. There were times when I've left an interview or networking meeting and I felt something was definitely dislocated. But, just like Jacob, we can't give up just because of a little pain. We must hold on and keep wrestling.

In our job hunting we must have the same attitude Jacob had in Genesis 32:26. His basic prayer was, "I won't stop until you bless me!" God responds well to perseverance. In fact, He commands us to persevere.

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial;

for once he has been approved, 

he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 

James 1:12 (New American Standard Updated)

And the great news is that He even provides the power to keep going. That's a great picture of God's grace during unemployment.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. 

Psalm 28:7 (NASB)

He wants us to hang on and be blessed and He helps us hang on and be blessed. We've just got to decide to do it.

Jacob hangs on and in Genesis 32:28,29 is given a blessing and a new name reflecting his determination. "Israel" means "he who strives with God." Now, did Jacob overpower the angel and force God to give a blessing? No! At any time God could have overcome Jacob's desire to hang on. But God likes determination and perseverance - especially when they are exercised in a desire for His blessing.

In your job hunt, hang on! Keep at it! Wrestle with the situation. God will bless you for it.

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, 

so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement 

grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 

so that with one accord you may

with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Romans 15:4-6 (NASB)

Unemployed And Living With The F Word

We don't use the "F" word in public. It's really not socially acceptable to express yourself so… candidly. What would our friends think? What would our children say? And we especially don't want to use that word with our spouses - that would just add to the problem and might even cause a fight.

Did you know that earliest man had to deal with it? In fact, science has shown that, because of it, we as a species learned to survive in a hostile world. Then centuries later here we are, again, in the hostile world of unemployment. History teaches that to learn to protect ourselves we must come to grips with the "F" word… Fear.

Fear can freeze a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car and it can freeze us in our attempts to find work. We get "gun-shy," overreact, and even begin to anticipate the disappointing no's of the job search.

Every successful salesman will tell us that you can't be afraid to hear "no" if you're ultimately going to make the sale. Like them, we can't be afraid of no's in our search for a new job.

The Bible tells us, over and over again, to "fear not" because God is in control and knows what He's doing for those who trust in Him.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; 

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, 

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 (NASB95)

There's another "F" word the Bible uses that gives us the means to live with the "Fear" word - Faithfulness. If we boil down words like perseverance, trust, determination, and even obedience, we end up with the word "Faithfulness." Our being faithful to God throughout this tough jobless circumstance can overcome the "Fear" word. And the easiest way for us to remain faithful to God is to remember how faithful He is to us.

Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9 (New Living Translation)

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT)
Keep at it. God is faithful. He'll help you drive that other "F" word out of your life.
So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?" Hebrews 13:6 (NLT)

Getting Caught With Your Finger In The Fudge

When we're traveling through that dry and desolate valley of unemployment, it is so easy to begin to feel that you have nothing to offer prospective new employers. As the job search seemingly goes on and on we can start to believe that we are completely inadequate for any position. We're too old, not old enough, over qualified, or lacking the right experience. We begin to think the work world may have passed us by. We say to ourselves, "If I was a little more qualified I'd have gotten that last open position, or If I was just a little more experienced in this or that, or if I just had better grades, or a better degree, then a new job would be a sure thing."

One of the biggest temptations we face as job seekers is the desire to "fix" our resumes with a little fudging. Think of truth as a rock in your life. It's impossible to stretch a rock. Yet, Satan wants to tempt us to break that rock of truth and lie. Because no matter how it's justified or rationalized, putting something into our resume that is not true is lying. The devil is called a liar and the father of lies in John
8:44 (NASB95). It says, "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
In Proverbs 6:16,17 a "lying tongue" is listed as one of the six things God really hates. Later, in Proverbs 12:19 (NLT) it says, "Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed." When writing our resumes and presenting our qualifications to prospective employers, we must take that verse to heart.

Talking in Luke 16:10, Jesus said, "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities." (NLT) Even if we never get caught in the lie, God knows and keeps track. Lying is a way of saying that we don't trust God with the truth. He can't help us get a job unless we take it upon ourselves to "fudge," "misrepresent," or "stretch the facts." To do that and then ask God to bless us in our interviews or in the new job we've gotten through falsehood is just plain crazy! He won't do it. It is against His character. If you look in some theology book under the character of God, you'll find the word "veracity". It means God is totally true and truthful and that He cannot abide the sin of lying.

If there is some knowledge missing in your working experience, be honest. But you can also show that you are willing and able to learn, and that you are motivated to improve yourself. Check with your state employment offices and see if there is money available for training programs. Many states have programs for paying for workers who need to enhance areas of their understanding in order to qualify for available jobs. The government might even have financial incentives for employers to hire less experienced people and take on-the-job training. That information could then be taken into your interview and given as a benefit to the company for hiring you.

God is a rewarder of truth. He keeps the books and will bless your truthfulness. Ask for His help in keeping your resumes accurate and truthful. The fancy word for that is "integrity".

Webster's New World Dictionary defines integrity as: "1. A being complete; wholeness. 2. Unimpaired condition; soundness. 3. Uprightness, honesty, and sincerity". Keep this trait of integrity in your job search efforts and God will bless those efforts.

Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed,

for I take refuge in You.

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, 

For I wait for You. Psalm 25:20-21 (NASB95)

He who walks in integrity walks securely, 

But he who perverts his ways will be found out. 

Proverbs 10:9 (NASB95)

Improving Your Job Search

Even in this poor economy, companies are spending millions on "process improvement, total quality management, continuous improvement, or ISO - quality management systems." Under all these names, the idea is the same. To do better in business we must do better in all the processes of the business. I recently heard of one company who have budgeted spending 3% of their annual sales on improving the way they do everything.

We need to be doing the same thing in our searches for a new job. You have a resume. Hopefully a good one. But, are you continuously examining it for improvement? Are employers in your field using different terms to describe what you know how to do? You need to be constantly evaluating that resume and cover letter. You also need to be "de-briefed" after every interview or networking meeting you go to. What went right? What felt flat? What did the hiring official respond to? What seemed to turn them cool toward you? Then improve everything. Whatever works well, keep. What doesn't work, get rid of.

Find an unemployment group at your church or chamber of commerce and meet with them every week to discuss what happened with your resume submittals, job interviews, and networking appointments. Talk about how you can continuously improve the tools and methods of your job search and you'll be that much closer to a new career. Now, wouldn't that be an improvement?

Employers Want Holes, Not Employees

No business person I know wakes up one morning and says, "We need more employees." Yet, even in this bad economy, businesses are hiring people. Why? A common question we ask in the job search is, "What is this company looking for?"

Many years ago I was at a sales conference where I was asked a simple question. "Why does a person buy a drill?" In discussing the answer, we came to the conclusion that people don't buy drills because they want a drill. They buy drills because they want holes. The drill they choose represents the solution to two needs - the size of the hole and the material through which the aforementioned hole must be drilled.

Employers are the same. A business discovers a need. It needs to accomplish some task to be more profitable. That's why it decides to hire a new employee. Businesses never want to just add people. They want to add solutions to needs they have in the marketplace.

All through your interview, and even in your cover letters, keep in mind the question, "What is the need this company is trying to fill and how do I offer them the opportunity to best fill it? What are the obstacles they're trying to bore through?" Your experience highlights and emphasized qualifications should be tailored to what the business needs. Show them you can help them with that need and you'll stand out from people who are just looking for jobs.

Explain how you are the drill that has the features to get them the holes they need, through whatever is in their way, and you'll quickly find yourself in the company tool box.

“The Valleys of Unemployment”

An internet poem, author unknown, rewritten by Len M. Allen, 

I do not always understand,

why things happen as they do,
But one thing I am sure of,

My Lord will see me through.

Sometimes my life is hard to take
full of sorrows, trials, and woe.
It’s then that I remember.

It’s in the valleys that I grow!

My valleys seem so very small
when I see Christ upon the cross.
He endured that cost of pain for me,

His victory, Satan’s loss.

His grace and mercy are all I need

to handle every blow,
I thank Him for my need to pray,
“Lord! It’s in the valleys that I grow!”

"If I always stayed on mountain tops

and never had the pain,
I’d never learn to trust in You

and never peace attain.

Forgive me Lord, for doubting

when I’m feeling very low.
Just give me a reminder

it’s in the valleys that I grow!”

“So please, provide me with your strength,
and use my life each day,
To share your love with others,

and help them find their way.

You know I have so much to learn
and my growth is very slow.
I always pray for mountain tops,
but it’s in the valleys that I grow!”

“You’ve given me the comfort

that has helped me really live
Now I pass it on to others

so they too can freely give.

Thank you for the valleys Lord,

for this one thing I know.
The mountain tops are glorious
but it’s in the valleys that I grow!”

Unemployed? Did you get the Memo?

We all have experiences in our lives that seem extreme or difficult. God allows us to wander in wildernesses - sometimes of our own making, sometimes not. Whether we have lost our jobs because of the bad economy, company restructuring, or some fault of our own, we can find ourselves out in the circumstance of unemployment, a place of loneliness, confusion, doubt, and fear - a wilderness of emotion and dryness of spirit.

I've been a follower of Jesus Christ for over forty years. Like the people of Israel I've wandered in a wilderness of testing and trials, often as a result of my own actions. I've been unemployed for three significant periods in my career. The longest of these was twenty-five months in duration. During those many months of calling out to God and trying to walk through the experience in dependent fellowship with Him, I learned a lot about myself and my own faith. And I learned a lot about the Lord and what He expected from me on the long and lonely road through unemployment.

I knew God was totally able to find me a new job and connect me with the perfect person to move me into that opportunity. If He could speak the cosmos into existence He could blink a new job into existence without breaking a sweat. But He didn't. Why? I spent many, many hours in prayer and searching the scriptures for answers.

I wanted God to speak to me and explain what He was doing and what He wanted from me. Then one day I was speaking with a Christian friend and discussing my situation. I said, "I wish God would just send me a memo explaining what's going on." And I realized He had done just that. His word, the Bible, is a memo of the most complete kind.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; 

They did not find a way to an inhabited city. 

They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. 

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; 

He delivered them out of their distresses. 

He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving kindness, 

And for His wonders to the sons of men! 

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, 

And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. 

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;

He saved them out of their distresses. 

He sent His word and healed them, 

And delivered them from their destructions. 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, 

And for His wonders to the sons of men! 

Psalm 107:4-9,19-21 (New American Standard Bible Updated)

Verse twenty, above, says God sent His word and I had it open in front of me all during my own wilderness wandering through unemployment. I just needed to read it with hungry eyes and an open heart and God would speak to me through its pages. God has "an inhabited city" for each of us in the form of a job. All we must do is follow where His word leads to discover all that God, in His lovingkindness towards us, has for us.

I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. 

I have put my hope in his word. 

Psalm 130:5 (New Living Translation)

“I’m Unemployed And I Don’t Know What To Do”

It’s so easy to be overwhelmed. When we’re out of work, we’re like an egg in a vise. The pressure builds and builds until it feels like the egg will crack. It’s hard to think straight... hard to concentrate on writing a resume… even hard to get up every morning.

What’s wonderful is that God understands pressure. He knows all the things you need and all the things you think you need.

As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.

Psalm 119:143 (New Living Translation)

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"

Matthew 6:7-8 (NLT)

He also knows exactly how to provide peace in tough situations.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.

And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

So don’t be troubled or afraid."

John 14:27 (NLT)

But, He never forces you to be at peace. He waits. He works the circumstances. He may even allow things to get tougher so that we realize we can’t do it on our own and that we need Him to intercede.

This is the situation in which the Bible’s King Jehoshaphat found himself. He was surrounded by a vast enemy force. That sounds just like my daily situation during unemployment. Then, he prays to God and his prayer is very simple. It is specifically the prayer we should each be praying every day.

…, “Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague,

or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored.  We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.”

2 Chronicles 20:9 (NLT)

“O our God, won’t you stop them?

We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us.

We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT)

If I turn my eyes away from all my troubles and focus on God as my holy confidence, He knows what to do. Go see your pastor and ask him to pray with you. You’ll be amazed at God’s answer.

…“This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid!

Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army,

for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:15 (NLT)

God fights for you. Wow! That’s what we all need in our job search. Now, I’m not talking about treating God like an ATM – put your prayer in and out pops just what you ask for. But look to God. Ask Him to help you draw closer to Him, depend on Him, and trust in Him. He’ll come through for you. That’s what He does.

“Faith in the Fire of Being Fired”

After a long career of promotions, raises, and recognition suddenly I was without a job. Like millions of Americans I had to ask myself some tough questions throughout the experience of being unemployed. Was God really there? Was He really in control of everything? Did He really love me? Did I have any other options besides following God’s direction in these tough circumstances?

I had been a Christian for many years, had studied and even taught the Bible, and had lived a fairly comfortable life free of any significant tests or trials of faith. Then I walked through a prolonged time of being without work and learned things about myself and about my God that I would never have known outside of the experience.

Being unemployed for a extended time reminded me of the three boys who were thrown into the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter three. My situation of mounting bills, family pressures, disappointing job interviews, and frustrating internet searches felt like I was suffering a “fiery” ordeal. I had read verses like 1 Chronicles 28:20 that says, “…’Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you….’, but I never really knew what God being “with me” meant until I was significantly unemployed. Then, I began to experience the comfort of His just being there in my life. Like the boys in Daniel 3:24,25, the king said that, even though they threw three into the fire, he could see four walking around in the fire – and the fourth, “Is like a son of the gods.” Now, whether this was the incarnate Christ, or an angel sent by Him I don’t know. But, I do know the boys were not left alone in the fire. I was not alone in the fire of my joblessness!  Jeremiah described my unemployment experience perfectly when he wrote Lamentations 3:17-20.

Peace has been stripped away,
and I have forgotten what prosperity is.

I cry out, “My splendor is gone!
Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!”

The thought of my suffering
and homelessness is bitter beyond words.

I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss. (NLT)

I was without work for 25 months. At first, I had confidence this would work out all right. God was in control. He would provide a new and even better job. No problem! But, as time went by, I began to feel more and more alone and frustrated. I questioned everything about my life. Slowly it occurred to me, as it must have the three boys in the fiery furnace, that I was not alone. Christ was there with me. He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).


As I continued to read, in Lamentations 3:21-24 I learned that Jeremiah’s conclusion was just the conclusion I needed. “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”


Even in the fire of being fired. The fiery ordeal of going through unemployment can be one of rejoicing in God’s love, sovereign control, power, provision, and closeness. In other words, it can be an experience of finding faith, and in that faith, comfort.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our affliction
so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance,

so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NASB)