Where is God in Your Job Search? — Nashville Institute for Faith and Work

Genesis 37-50

missing god in transition

Jane is struggling with her career and her faith. She has spent the last two years piecing together part-time work while looking for a full-time job with benefits. The process has been frustrating, with lots of effort and very little to show for it. The waiting is wearing on her faith. She wonders, "Why hasn't God provided a job? Is God even with me in my search?” Like most of us, she believes in the promises that God will care for us, provide for us, and lead us. Yet on her darkest days, she wonders if her faith makes any difference and wonders if anything is real on the other side of the invisible.

Ryan is trying to discern the work that is right for him. He is four years out of college. His current job sucks the life out of him. He wonders how he got here. If he has a calling, a God-defined plan for his work, he assumes he must have missed it. Unlike Jane, Ryan believes the fault is 100% his own, some flaw in his spirituality or practice. Like Jane, he is discouraged and feeling that he has somehow lost his way vocationally, and God is as hard to find as the way back.

So, where do we find God in our job search? How do we recognize Him, align with Him, and draw strength from Him when the road ahead is unclear? In this piece, we look to the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, to help us regain our foundation in Christ amid the upheaval of vocational change. Through the story of Joseph, we see that God is with us in the present, the past, and the future.

THe story of joseph

We meet Joseph in Genesis chapter 37, and he is the dominant character from there through the end of the book. Joseph is Jacob's 11th son, the favorite, smart, and yet precocious. He was born to be a shepherd but ended up being the prime minister and head of agriculture for the superpower of the day, Egypt. Joseph's life and work journey was a roller coaster ride.

Already prized as the favorite son, Joseph returned from the pasture and spoke poorly of his brothers to his father. Joseph’s father decided to signal his favor towards Joseph by making him a robe of many colors. This act of favoritism sent his brothers into a fit of rage and jealousy. Then, Joseph had two dreams that he shared with his brothers and family in which he was reigning and ruling over them. When Joseph shared the dreams with his brothers, it pushed them over the edge, and they sold him as a slave. Joseph was purchased by a man named Potiphar in Egypt and forced to work in his household. As a result, Joseph went from favored son to human property in a foreign land.

“Comparison to others, self-criticism, and impatient frustration rob us of God’s presence when we are engaged in job search and transition.
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Before long, Joseph rose through the ranks. He had the wisdom to solve problems. He had high integrity and was trusted. Within a short time, he achieved the household manager's role, second in command to the owner. Then, another reversal happened. Potiphar's wife became infatuated with Joseph and tried to seduce him, to which Joseph refused. She accused him of rape, and he lost everything again as he was thrown in prison. Joseph went from top of the house to prisoner, fearing for his life.

But Joseph did well in prison. He was favored in the eyes of the warden and eventually ran the facility. The warden did not worry about anything because Joseph was in charge. Finally, Joseph is introduced to Pharaoh and given a role in the royal court and national administration. His story has what we might call a happy ending, yet it was a grueling journey.

meeting god in the present

A phrase is repeated several times in Joseph's low points, at the places where he had to start over: “God was with him.” God was with him by delivering strength and favor in the present. When we hit roadblocks in our careers and job search journeys, God is still with us. Jesus promised to be with us to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). As the psalmist writes: “I will fear no evil because you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). God doesn't always promise relief from the circumstances, but He does promise His presence.

How do we connect to His presence?

We get quiet enough to hear the whispers of the Spirit in our hearts, reminding us that we are sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:15-17).
Whether our work is persevering in a less than ideal job or while searching for a full-time job, we offer it to God. Our work is our offering to him. We know He sees our work. We know He will reward us for our honest work (Colossians 3:23-24).
We find reasons for rejoicing. Paul said to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). In all things, give thanks. There are causes for gratitude despite the trials. Find them.

meeting god in the past

“The good works God has planned for you include your daily work—the actual activities you do, the people you touch, and the income you generate.”

How did Joseph keep going through the dramatic reversals in his circumstances? His hope must have been fueled by the ways God had cared for and provided for him in the present. His hope was stoked by the way God had met him in the past. His brothers originally planned to kill him but sold him instead. Potiphar could have had him executed, but he was left in prison instead. God was sovereign over him.

Perhaps more significantly, God revealed to Joseph, in the form of dreams, the future he had for Joseph. When he was young and full of himself, Joseph did not handle this information well—he held it over his brothers. But in all those days working in Potiphar's house or administering the prison, he must have wondered, how will these dreams come to be? How will God fulfill his plans for me?

God has been with you in your past.

He has given you talents and abilities with which to serve others and make a living (1 Peter 4:10, Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
God has rescued you from sin and difficulties. God has provided you with opportunities to learn, to work, and to impact others.
As we reflect on the past, we may find that God has given us a strong sense of burden, purpose, and ability to impact a defined group of people in a specific way.

meeting god in the future

The future. Anxiety is fear on fast forward. We worry about what will or will not be. How do we meet God in the future? As an older man, Joseph reflects (Genesis 48-50). As he forgives his brothers, he says, "What you intended for evil, God intended for good” (Genesis 50:20). God can take our world's brokenness, our industry, and our souls and work out a plan for good. God's plan defined Joseph's future.

God has a good plan for your future. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes that, “We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He has prepared for us to do.” The good he has intended is not limited to church volunteers and missionaries. The good works God has planned for you include your daily work—the actual activities you do, the people you touch, the income you generate. Cling to this!

God has a plan for your work future. The hard part is this: God will let you know what that plan is when you need to know it. Comparison to others, self-criticism, and impatient frustration rob us of God's presence when we are engaged in job search and transition.

God’s presence and plan for your future impacts how you work and wait.

When you visualize your future, have hope knowing that God will be there with you—no matter your circumstances.
We can trust that God, as the author of our story, has a better plan for our work than we could possibly imagine, even amid present uncertainty.
We can let go of our need for control even as we diligently seek our next assignment, knowing that it is the Lord who directs our steps (Prov. 3:5-6).

god’s presence in our search

Where is God in your job search? He is with you. He is with you in your past, in your present, and your future. He sees the beginning and the end. He knows what's next. He invites us to do our part in seeking opportunity, humbly receiving feedback, and diligently seeking His next assignment. He is the caller, and we are the called.

Seeking further help in your job search? Check out our Career Navigator program in partnership with the VOCA Center.

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