Testimonies of God's Awesomeness
The Hostess with the Mostest...
"This is just the job for YOU!" my husband enthusiastically
expressed to me as he handed me the newspaper. The front
page article announced that a new ABC affiliated television
station was looking for someone to produce and host a magazine
type talk show in our area.
"You'd be PERFECT! You need to apply!" he emphatically insisted.
"Talk show hostess! You gotta be kidding! I don't want to be a talk
show hostess! I want to continue working for the Lord!" I responded.
After all my objections and opinions as to why I shouldn't apply, he
made me agree that I would at least pray about it, send in a resume'
and let the Lord decide.
At that particular time in my life I was teaching a lady's Bible study,
and we were all excited that a new ABC station was coming to our
area. In fact, we had been praying about trying to buy air time.
We wanted to show some of the two minute Christian children's
teaching TV spots that Steve and I had produced with our puppets
out at CBN in Virginia Beach. Altogether our group had only raise
several hundred dollars towards the effort, but we had prayed
extensively about getting the teachings on the air.
As I sat in front of my typewriter to prepare a current resume',
I asked the Lord how He wanted me to do it. It's routine for me
to pray and commit what I do to Him before I start. The thought
came to me to put my photo on the left side of the page and my
personal particulars to the right of it. I'd never seen a resume'
done like that before. I didn't hesitate or question it, because I
didn't care if I got the job anyway, so that was how I typed it. To
my surprise, I got a call several days later asking me to come in
for an interview.
They were swamped with applicants, and I was told to be patient
until my name was called. I had hayfever and must have been
allergic to something in the hotel lobby because I sneezed and
sneezed. My nose was as red as Rudolph's, my eyes were watering,
and my face was swollen. The way I looked, I'd certainly have been
a good candidate to do an antihistamine allergy commercial!
In my boredom I began picking tiny lint off of my dark skirt...and
then I spotted a fuzz ball on my stocking. Oooops...shouldn't have
pulled on it! Right up front and center emerged a hole the size of
an orange in my navy blue stocking. I got so tickled. I just knew
the hayfever attack and this huge hole was the Lord's way of making
sure I didn't get the job. By the sheer look of disgust that I got
from the station manager's secretary as she gave me a "once over"
while directing me to his office, I knew I must have looked a sight.
He looked up...I wiped my dripping nose again...he looked down to
some papers on top of his briefcase on the floor...he looked up
again and leaned closer to get a better look at me, and then he
reached down and picked up my resume' that he had set aside on
his briefcase, and asked, "Are you Marlene?" I nodded "yes"...with
another "sniff, sniff"...and he said, "You've got the job!" I hadn't
even opened my mouth...he didn't even know if I could talk! I was
stunned!
He told me that when he received my resume' he had decided that
I would be the "hostess with the mostest," because I had the edge
over all the other applicants due to the fact that I had thought to
included a photo. Out of one hundred and twenty other applicants,
I was the only one to include a photo. The Lord had seen to it that
I excelled because He had a purpose for my getting that job. It was
nothing in myself, but was His directions to me on how to write the
resume', and no outside distractions that the enemy brought about
could hinder what God wanted accomplished.
As it turned out, most of the commercials and public service
announcements sent to the new station for their debut got lost in
shipping, and, well, I just "happened" to be able to save them from
total embarrassment by allowing them to air our teaching spots.
By the time the shipment finally arrived, our segments had been
so well received by the viewing audience that they decided to run
them four and five additional times each day for over a year. The
Lord had answered our prayers by giving us hundreds upon hundreds
of minutes of air time, and the Gospel was being sent out, free of
charge, on a secular television network. What an awesome God
we serve!
In addition to the free air time, I was blessed by having the great
opportunity to lead some of the employees to Jesus as their Savior,
especially one Jewish fellow...and others went on to a more fulfilling
relationship with the Lord through the sharing of my Spirit-filled walk
with Him. I will have to admit that producing and doing the ABC
"People-to-People" television program was one of the most delightful
things I've ever done. I realize that I could have missed out on all of
this by insisting on having my own way and by not committing my
work unto the Lord.
Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
your paths straight.
Proverbs 18:2
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his
own opinions.
The most important lesson that He taught me through this was:
Proverbs 20:24
A man's steps are directed by the Lord.
How then can anyone understand his own way?
Joyously living under His reign,
and continually being rained upon with His love and grace,
Marlene
RGodReigns@prayervine.org
R God Reigns n' Rains!
Psalm 103:19 (emphasis mine)
"The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens;
and his kingdom ruleth over all."
The following Psalm tells us that our God reigns over the earth;
over ALL, both the good as well as the evil. When He is the Lord of
our life, He rules and reigns over every situation...the blessings, as
well as the frightening experiences. His desire is to rain down His
blessings upon those who allow Him to reign over their life. This
series is about the testimonies that resulted from His grace, and
about those times when I've trusted Him and His Word, and allowed
Him to reign over some unexpected situations that flooded into my
life. May His name be lifted up!
Psalm 93
THE Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.