One of my closest friends and fellow homeschooler is going through the wringer. His mentor died, his dad is very ill, and he's deeply in debt to the point of being threatened by foreclosure and all sorts of nasty stuff. It's not that he's mismanaged his money. He's disabled and getting a job when you're disabled is a difficult thing. I would know.

As a dad, I want to fix this problem. Dads fix things. When we can't, we get frustrated or discouraged. I am not God though, and there are things I can't control. That's not resignation; it's proper subjugation. I rely on Him to fix things. That's partly why I have this back injury. I have to rely on others, and that's not something I like to do. In the same way, God has to do things that I can't, and I'm learning patience and Spirit-led obedience. He has me learning this so that I don't go charging off in some flesh-directed vision that does a whole lot of good and may even better the body, but isn't the best for the Kingdom.

My wife and I both desperately want God to bless them and relieve the circumstances for my friend and his family, and that's what we pray for. Still, God saw their situation from before the foundations of the Earth were laid and He knew they would be in this place. Further, God hasn't led them into this canyon without His own reason(s) and He has a way for them to get out. Whether that escape comes from a job, some other form of help, or -- more likely -- a combination, that is God's decision. And it may be that God wants them to learn something while they're there, but that's God's realm. The moment I try to assign some kind of cause is the moment I set myself up for a fall.

Their deepest need is hearing God right now. When you're surrounded by creditors and you don't know where or how you're going to get groceries and "one more thing" breaks down or falls through, it's the hardest thing to quiet your heart to hear what He's saying. Christians around them need to help them tap into God and receive what he has for them that day, whether it was peace, healing, love, warfare, something else or some combination.

My responsibility toward my friend is to listen to what God wants me to do. We pray, we listen, and if he says go and do thus and so, that's what we do. Some people have been calling this Spirit Walking. I call it living by what God says, not by bread alone.

Please pray for my friend, that God would direct their steps, provide for their needs, and protect them from losing their home.

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