The Longest Forty Days
James had built his life on hard work and self-determination. He was the kind of man who believed that as long as he put in the effort, success would follow. He had climbed the corporate ladder, provided for his family, and prided himself on being in control of his destiny. But life has a way of humbling even the strongest.
One Friday afternoon, James was called into his boss’s office. The news hit like a punch to the gut – his position had been eliminated. After ten years of dedication, it was over in a ten-minute conversation. At first, James told himself he would find another job quickly. He updated his resume, networked, sent out applications. But weeks turned into months, and rejection after rejection chipped away at his confidence. Bills piled up. His savings dwindled. He began to feel like a failure, and worse — he felt abandoned by God.
“Where are You, Lord?” he whispered one night, staring at the ceiling in the dark. “I’ve done everything right. Why have You left me? “
The Devil’s Strategies
In the silence of his despair, the devil’s whispers grew louder:
“You see? You were never really in control.”
“You are powerless. You are alone.”
“God isn’t answering because He doesn’t care.”
“Look at the people who have wronged you — they are thriving while you suffer.”
“What’s the point of praying? Hasn’t God already failed you?”
Doubt slithered into James’s mind like a serpent in the desert. He stopped praying. He stopped reading Scripture. He stopped believing that things could change. One evening, while scrolling through job postings, he came across an old friend’s social media profile. The friend had just been promoted to an executive role, the very type of position James had been striving for. A wave of jealousy and bitterness rose in his chest. “You should have been in that position,” the voice whispered. “God gives to others, but not to you. Maybe you should start taking shortcuts. Maybe faith is for fools.” The temptation was real. He could bend his principles, manipulate his way into a job, maybe even exact revenge on those who had wronged him. But deep down, James knew these thoughts were leading him further from the light.
The Place of Trust
The next morning, exhausted and empty, James walked into a small chapel near his home. He hadn’t stepped foot inside in years. He sat in the back, watching the flickering candles, listening to the quiet murmurs of prayer. A verse came to his heart: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Tears welled in his eyes. For months, he had fought to fix everything on his own. He had leaned on his own strength, his own plans. But now, sitting before God, he realised he had never truly surrendered. He closed his eyes and whispered, “Lord, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to move forward. But I choose to trust You.” It wasn’t an easy prayer. It wasn’t a prayer that erased all his struggles in an instant. But it was a beginning. A shift. A moment of true surrender.
A few days later, on a beautiful morning, James’s phone rang. It was his old friend — the one he had envied just days before. “I don’t know why, but I kept thinking about you today,” his friend said. “There’s an opening at my company, and I think you’d be perfect for it. Would you be interested?” James was speechless. This wasn’t about getting the perfect job. It was about realising that God had never left him. Even in the silence, even in the waiting, God had been working.
Reflection: Trust in the Wilderness
Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, facing temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). The devil tried to shake His trust in the Father by offering easy solutions – bread to satisfy hunger, power to prove Himself, shortcuts to glory. But Jesus chose trust over temptation.
Lent is our wilderness. It is a time when the enemy will whisper doubts, when our faith may feel weak, when we may question whether God sees us. But in those moments, we are invited to do what James did – to surrender, to trust and to wait for the God who never abandons His children.
This week, ask yourself:
- Where am I relying on my own strength instead of trusting in God?
- What temptations are trying to pull me away from faith?
- How can I practice true surrender in my struggles?
Lent is not just about suffering – it’s about transformation. And that transformation begins when we trust the One who leads us through the desert.
Oh Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!