By Lee Sing Chyun

Dear V,

I’m sorry to learn that you have lost your job. It’s indeed sad that many hardworking employees like you have been retrenched in this tough economic climate caused by the Covid-19 crisis.

I can fully understand that you must be really worried about paying the bills and putting food on the table for your family. Your desire to provide for them, and the burden you feel, truly reflects the heart of a believer.

I can imagine how disorientating this sudden change must be for you. It reminds me of how David in the Bible once felt when he was young and serving in King Saul’s court. Things were going well, but suddenly, he found himself having to flee for his life, pursued by the king. In a moment, his life was turned upside down dramatically.

This is why Psalm 23, written by David, is indeed a comforting psalm for life’s trying times:

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

David, who was himself a shepherd, understood what it meant to be taken care of by the Shepherd of our souls.

As it enters a valley dark as night, a fearful sheep may lose sight of its shepherd. It is then, that it feels the reassuring touch of the shepherd’s staff, guiding it from danger and gently prodding it to the pasture where there will be plentiful grass and water.

David must have felt the comfort of his Shepherd’s staff—the gracious workings of God that assured him of God’s loving presence and guidance in life’s perilous circumstances. I am praying that you, too, will see how our great Shepherd’s loving guidance continues to help you in your search for a job.

Of course, the harsh reality of unpaid bills, expectations from family members, and rejected job applications can make anyone wonder: Where is God? Why is He not helping me now?

In your anxiety and worries, can I encourage you to continually seek solace in God’s promises and cling on to them? Our God is not only the great Creator of the heavens and the earth, but also the loving Provider to every single bird which cannot grow its own food (Matthew 6:26).

It is with this reassurance, then, that you can “present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). It is a promise that I have witnessed happening in many believers’ lives as well as in my own.

I can also imagine how disheartening it must be to have your job applications turned down. While job interviewers are interested in what you can do, God looks not at our outward appearances, but at our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7).

David, too, was deemed unfit to be king by his own father and brothers because of his age and small build—just like we are judged today by employers on our age, gender, or other outward traits. But God sees beyond these and knows our true heart. I believe that your earnest heart to get a job to provide for your family is pleasing in God’s sight, and He will help you overcome these manmade obstacles.

As you embark on a new phase of your life, I pray that your journey ahead be filled with God’s gracious reminders that you are not left alone to fend for yourself: your great Shepherd journeys with you. Be strengthened, dear friend, I will be praying along with you.

Yours truly,
Lee Sing Chyun