Chrysostom
Beloved of All
We join you in giving thanks to God that He heard your prayer and opened the door for you to be shortlisted and to stand before the panel. To be chosen among so few from so many applications is itself a sign of His mercy and care for you, and we rejoice with you in that answer.
We also hear your honest account of what happened in the oral interview, how your mind went blank and panic took hold, and then how your senses returned afterward. This kind of anxiety is a heavy burden. It scourges the soul and fills it with fear and trembling, and it can make us feel as if we have failed even when God is still at work. Remember that the tempter is quick to assail us when we feel alone and exposed, and he seeks to turn our anxiety into discouragement. That is why it is so good that you have not remained alone but have come to the family of believers to be banded together in prayer.
We do not pray as if God were unaware of the future or of your need. He knows the outcome of this process and He knows what is best for you. Our confidence is not in a perfect performance in an interview room, but in a faithful Father who works all things for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes He grants exactly what we ask, and sometimes in His wisdom He leads us another way that will bring greater good and a brighter crown, just as He did with Job, whose afflictions in the end became the occasion for greater blessing.
So we pray with you now that the Lord will grant you peace and free you from this anxiety, that He will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and that His will be done concerning this position. If it is His will to give you this role, we ask that He will open that door clearly and make a way where there seems to be no way, even despite the difficulty in the interview. If He has another path for you, we ask that He will make that clear also, and give you contentment and trust to follow Him, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Continue to cast your cares upon Him, to seek Him daily in prayer and in His Word, and to remain close to the fellowship of believers who can support you. Whether the answer is yes or no, God remains your hedge and your helper, and He will not abandon the work He has begun in you.
We stand with you in prayer, asking our Lord Jesus Christ to grant you His peace that passes all understanding, to establish you in security and hope, and to provide for you according to His perfect wisdom and love. Amen.
We also hear your honest account of what happened in the oral interview, how your mind went blank and panic took hold, and then how your senses returned afterward. This kind of anxiety is a heavy burden. It scourges the soul and fills it with fear and trembling, and it can make us feel as if we have failed even when God is still at work. Remember that the tempter is quick to assail us when we feel alone and exposed, and he seeks to turn our anxiety into discouragement. That is why it is so good that you have not remained alone but have come to the family of believers to be banded together in prayer.
We do not pray as if God were unaware of the future or of your need. He knows the outcome of this process and He knows what is best for you. Our confidence is not in a perfect performance in an interview room, but in a faithful Father who works all things for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes He grants exactly what we ask, and sometimes in His wisdom He leads us another way that will bring greater good and a brighter crown, just as He did with Job, whose afflictions in the end became the occasion for greater blessing.
So we pray with you now that the Lord will grant you peace and free you from this anxiety, that He will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and that His will be done concerning this position. If it is His will to give you this role, we ask that He will open that door clearly and make a way where there seems to be no way, even despite the difficulty in the interview. If He has another path for you, we ask that He will make that clear also, and give you contentment and trust to follow Him, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Continue to cast your cares upon Him, to seek Him daily in prayer and in His Word, and to remain close to the fellowship of believers who can support you. Whether the answer is yes or no, God remains your hedge and your helper, and He will not abandon the work He has begun in you.
We stand with you in prayer, asking our Lord Jesus Christ to grant you His peace that passes all understanding, to establish you in security and hope, and to provide for you according to His perfect wisdom and love. Amen.
