5 Scriptures For Your Job Search

When you are in the throes of a job search, it can wear on you. Preparing resumes, applications and cover letters is time-consuming and requires a lot of energy. When you are on the hunt for the perfect job, it can take many tries to find the right fit. From a worldly perspective, it is simply a numbers game. Apply, apply, and apply some more and eventually, you will find it. This can be incredibly discouraging, especially since it is becoming more and more common for job seekers to be ignored when they are not chosen for a position, rather than being given the courtesy of a call or an email. However, as believers, there is more to the job search than just numbers. Here are 5 scriptures and biblical principles to keep you in the right frame of mind as you continue on your job search:

1. Trust Him

“’ For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11

Maybe you know the call that God has placed on your life, and you even know the mission that he has given you. But so often the way that God’s plans for us play out is so different than what we pictured in our minds. It is possible that when we get tunnel vision for our version of the fulfillment of God’s call on our lives we could completely miss opportunities that are given to us for preparation and advancement. Ministry is not a “skip to the end” kind of game. It is not a game at all.

2. Do the Work at Hand with Diligence

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…” Colossians 3: 23

We find a great example of this principle in the story of Joseph. He honored God regardless of the work that was put in front of him, no matter how “beneath” him it may have been. He was humble enough to see the value in the work that he was doing, and his faith was strong enough to keep him believing in God’s dream for his life. Arguably, it was the work that he did will enslave and imprison him that prepared him for his position in the palace. He was tested and became skillful because the path that many would have seen as a failure, but led to his success.

3. Stay Rested

“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Genesis 2:3

Do not grow weary in your search. Do not neglect the needs of your body or your family at this time. Be renewed with each new day and take the necessary time to rest. Rest tends to look different in every season. If you are dealing with a situation of unemployment, then you might have to put off a typical family vacation or make other sacrifices. But do not allow your time with God to drift down your to-do list or float to the back of your mind. Hold on to that time with him. That is true rest!

4. Be Patient

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8

We tend to be in a worrying hurry in a way that God is not. Time here on earth is not equal to the way that God deals with time in his kingdom. Through Him, we have eternal life, and we are responsible to be obedient to His call. But we are not responsible for making the timelines of our lives move along in a way that seems good to us. That kind of control we give to God, who should have it.

5. Consider it Joy

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Through all of the seasons in life, God is at work in us. We must keep our eyes and minds set on what the Word of God says to us so we are not beaten down or disillusioned. Because we serve a Good God who gives us good gifts and loves us, we can take joy in every circumstance. There is always comfort in knowing who is really in control and who is the one that is taking care of our every need!

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