I woke up around 5.30am this morning, to watch the results of the UK referendum on our continuing membership of the European Union, like many I was surprised by the result, although as someone who actively supports the UK’s withdrawal from the EU., and I was praying and I had the phrase “ it’s time to think outside the box,”
I’ve been actively seeking a new job for two years, and I have applied for at least several hundred jobs during that time, despite a lot of prayer both personal, including asking many friends to pray , nothing has come through in the Merseyside and Manchester areas, I’ve had many dozens of rejection emails, about 3 months ago, I had an interview with BT, Lancaster House, Liverpool, and to be honest I thought I had the job, when I had an automatic email the next day to say my application had been unsuccessful, however I thought that the phrase Lancaster was important but wasn’t sure why?
I’ve dealt with several employment agencies in the Liverpool , and some 4 weeks ago I spoke to well-known employment agency in Liverpool and I was disappointed by their response, I was praying about this and a phrase come to my mind, “ it’s time to think outside the box” I had an email about a job which was permanent, excellent salary and I then saw the location, which was Lancaster, it was the 3rd time I had that email, the first two times I ignored the email, this time I decided to apply to test my cv and covering letter and I thought nothing more of it.
About 3 weeks ago, I was chatting to one of my friends at Church, and I mentioned about the job in Lancaster that I applied for, when we discussing the progress or lack of on the jobs front, I mentioned this job I had applied for in Lancaster, and said I had only applied to test my Curriculum Vitae and Covering Letter, but I hadn’t received any news, about 30 minutes after this conversation with my friend, my mobile phone rang and it was the HR department of this company in Lancaster to offer me an interview.
In the last few weeks, I have had an ongoing conversation via email and phone with this company, and I was offered an interview in their offices in Lancaster on Monday 21st June 2016. I spoke to several friends at Church on the Sunday, and many of them prayed for me, and I made the necessary arrangements to travel to Lancaster for my interview, my interview went really well, and I kept asking the Lord, “why He has provided me an interview in Lancaster, when I’ve been applying for jobs in Liverpool?” I had a phone call the next day from this company to offer me the job, which I accepted, today I received the employment offer letter and contract.
Yes, there are a lot of things to do and get ready, I have no idea why I have been offered a permanent role in Lancaster when I couldn’t get despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get a temporary job with an identical CV. So I have prayed and prayed about it.
While praying I had the word again, “thinking outside the box,” and the words Saul and David, for the context of the story, I suggest that you read 1 Samuel:8 – 10.
1 Samuel 10:6-13 English Standard Version (Anglianised)
6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.
9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
Since, the people of Israel had entered the promised land, they hadn’t wanted a King and the Lord had been their King, and they had been governed or lead by a series of Judges, the last Judge was Samuel, like some of his predecessors his family hadn’t followed the Lord, because of the behaviour of his sons, see 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel demanded a King, The Lord bought Saul to the attention of Samuel see 1 Samuel 9 and Saul was anointed to be King.
Unfortunately, Saul had a moral failure although he had started well and had some military successes, he came to rely on his own abilities and strengths see 1 Samuel:11-15.
We see in 1 Samuel 15:24-35
35 And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
It seemed that all was lost, yes Saul had failed, but that hadn’t stopped the Lord’s plan and purpose being fulfilled.
Proverbs 19:20-21
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel was commanded by the Lord to stop grieving for Saul because the Lord had rejected Saul, and he was sent by the Lord to anoint Saul’s replacement as King.
Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse, and when Samuel saw Jesse’s sons, he surely thought that this one must be the one to be King and each time, the Lord said no, did Samuel think what is going on or did he trust the Lord and His direction.
1 Samuel 16:7b
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
Saul turned to Jesse, and asked did he have anymore sons, Jesse replied yes, the youngest one, but he is looking after the sheep, they sent for David see
1 Samuel 16:11-13
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
David was God’s choice to be King, Saul was Man’s choice when the Lord had rejected Saul because of his sin, Men’s choice was to choose what they expected a King to be like they looked for someone similar to Saul, yet the Lord had chosen someone whose heart was/is fully devoted to him.
We expect the Lord to fulfil our desires/dreams that even when they come from the Lord, we have a dream partner/dream job/dream ministry, and the Lord tells us to look outside the box, we see what he has for us, rather than the limited expectations we have for ourselves.
Psalm 78:70-72
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skilful hands he led them.
I love the story of Peter, we see in John 18, that Peter rejected the Lord 3 times, just as Jesus told him, he would. When Peter realised what he had done, he ran away in shame, many including Peter could have written him off, he had failed big time, yet
John 21
New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish
21 Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 ‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’
‘No,’ they answered.
6 He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment round him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred metres. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’
Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’
16 Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’
He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’
Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’
17 The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’
Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is going to betray you?’) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’
22 Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’ 23 Because of this, the rumour spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?’
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Friends, many of us including myself, have prayed and prayed for ages for something, maybe it’s time we looked outside the box of our limited expectations or experiences, and experience the fullness that the Lord has for us?
During my quiet time 5 weeks ago, the Lord bought my attention to this scripture and this one week before I had the email about the job in Lancaster.
Deuteronomy 8:1-10New International Version (NIV)
Do Not Forget the Lord
8 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
And then,
2 Timothy 3:16-17New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Be Blessed Today,
Blair Humphreys
Lancaster, Lancashire, England
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