From time to time I share things that have brought me light in the darkness of an unfulfilling job. Such is the Oswald Chambers devotional included below, truly a word offering comfort.

My experience of a bad job situation that the well is TOO deep. Of course, a well is never too deep for Jesus, but my experience tells me that it is too deep for Him, otherwise, wouldn’t He have done one single thing in 15 years to alleviate the suffocation and darkness? I’m trusting you read that with an empathetic heart. It’s difficult to share the “hated job struggle” because so many people respond like one of Job’s friends who assumed the worst about him. So many people don’t get it about a challenging job situation.

I get it. And to my fellow sojourners in a “hated job struggle”, I hope these insightful words offer comfort to you.

(Bracketed text within the devotional mine.)

The Impoverished Ministry of Jesus

(2/27 My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers)

Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11

“The well is deep”— and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble [and frustration and despair] inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled …” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it, [even you can’t draw me out of this pit].” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing, [to provide me with the resources I need or to give me a job doing what I was born to do].” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.

The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances [and life-draining, soul-destroying, dead-end jobs], we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.

Found online at: http://utmost.org/the-impoverished-ministry-of-jesus/

Praise God! “Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above.”  Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within me, let me never fail to recognize that Christ is almighty. Yes, Almighty Lord, do not delay Your mercy. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.