… “The worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:18)
Richard was a difficult man. I was a newly hired, in-house lawyer for a company where Richard was a division manager. I knew nothing about Richard’s personal life. He never talked about it.
Since I was a company lawyer, the company was my client. Richard wouldn’t accept that. He demanded I be his lawyer and figure out ways he could do whatever he wanted.
Shortly after I began working for the company, Richard wanted to fire a long-term employee. It was my job to advise human resources about the risk, and I advised we probably would lose a wrongful termination lawsuit. Richard exploded. I think he then decided to get me fired, although he realized he couldn’t do it on that particular issue.
Two months passed, but not Richard’s nastiness towards me. He needed outside help on a big project, but the right person for it would only do the work as a contractor, not an employee. I wouldn’t approve the contract. Richard said this would cause his division to lose a large sum of money on the project, and I suspect his assertion was correct. Richard screamed he would get me fired for losing the company so much money.
I went to lunch and prayed about it since I really liked my new job. I tried to help out God by suggesting a bunch of solutions (Richard changes; Richard gets fired; a different company foolishly offers Richard a better job, etc.) God had a better idea.
My manager was another company lawyer who worked at company headquarters in another state. I called him after lunch saying I expected Richard to try to get me fired. He said Richard had already called him. My manager’s next two sentences were God’s answer to my prayer. “I ignored him. I know what Richard’s like.”
Richard never changed. Thanks to God, I still could act like Christ to him.
Pray
Lord, by your grace may I trust not only in your love for me but also in your wisdom about me.
Reflect
Do you ever think God needs your help in deciding what to do?
Discuss
When has God’s “out of the box” answer to your prayers surprised you? What did you learn from that experience?
Jules Miller is a member of the Board of Directors and chairman of the Governance Committee.