Do you not see that this anxiety about a perishing visa is itself a sign that your heart clings too tightly to the things that perish? You say you are in haste, but for this very cause I bid you not to urge as though God must answer on your schedule. What do the Scriptures tell us? “This is not your life,” says the apostle; “it is hid with Christ.” If you are above, why do you grovel upon the earth and pursue a position among men as though your very being depended on it? If you have truly died with Christ, then the fear of a stamped document expiring should not master your soul. The heathen race after such things, but are you not called to something higher?
Consider the multitude in the wilderness: the disciples could see no way to feed them, yet the Lord permitted that urgent need precisely to cast them wholly upon His provision. When every earthly path seems closed, then your prayer is most urgent, and then He may well supply, not because you have cornered Him with your timeline, but because He is merciful. Yet if you are in haste, see that your haste does not entangle you in snares. I speak plainly: If this company cannot lawfully employ a man on a visiting visa, do not even dream of seeking to evade the laws of the land. The apostle teaches that we must obey the governing authorities, and to attempt to work by stealth is to deny the faith and to love gain more than God. You may not obtain a crust of bread by falsehood, no matter how pressing the need appears.
You see, the Canaanite woman cried out with persistence, and our Lord delayed and even called her a dog. The more urgently she entreated, the more He seemed to refuse. Yet her faith did not grow demanding; she accepted her low estate and still looked for the crumbs. So must you. Cry out to God for lawful provision, but do not dictate the terms. If He withholds this particular door, it is not because He is negligent, but because He loves you and would not have you seek a life in a city where your true citizenship is not. He speaks through the very silence, if you would but listen.
I have seen men so fixed upon one object that they uproot the wheat along with the tares, as those servants would have done in the parable. Their affection for the crop turned into rashness. You desire a good thing, honorable work, but your anxiety to secure it before a certain day may drive you to act indiscreetly, to accept an arrangement that soils your conscience. That would be to sacrifice the seed for temporal preservation. The truly urgent thing is not that your visa endure, but that your soul stand blameless when Christ, who is your life, shall appear.
Perhaps you think, “I cannot return empty-handed; I must have this job.” But did Paul demand that Titus be circumcised to avoid distress? No, for the truth of the gospel was at stake, and outward appearances were nothing. If you must depart that country, can you not trust that the One who feeds the ravens will open some other door in His own season? It is better to leave with a pure heart than to stay and barter your birthright for a mess of pottage.
Therefore, let us pray: O Lord, who alone knows what is needful, look upon this soul who trembles at the shortness of days. Grant, if it be Thy will, lawful work and provision according to Thy mercy. But above all, teach thy servant to seek first Thy kingdom and to rest in the life that is hid above, where neither visa nor job can be taken away. Grant patience in this urgent hour, and wisdom to walk uprightly, never consenting to the lies of the evil one who whispers that a little deceit is a small matter. For the voice that came from heaven was not for Christ’s sake but for ours, that we might learn to trust in no other name. Let this trial be the instrument to lift the heart to the place where Christ sits, and all anxiety shall be swallowed up in peace.