By Pete Brusati in 1988 I was general manager of a small manufacturing company. The three partners who owned the company were engineers who had other jobs, so they hired me to manage it for them. It was a startup company with a lot of potential, but there were no benefits. My wife and I and our three kids had no health insurance, no dental or vision care benefits, and no 401k. I received no vacation or sick pay. As far as I could tell I was doing an excellent job there, but, after running the company for about a year and a half, I was told that I was being fired for being abusive to the employees. There were four other employees, so asked them if I had been in any way abusive, and they all said that I was not. It did not make sense to me until a friend of mine told me that if a company in California fired you for misconduct, they did not have to pay unemployment benefits, but, if they laid you off, they would owe the state money. I believe the reason they fired me was because my assistant had learned enough to take over my job and he was paid two dollars an hour less than me. I was very upset because we had no savings, we had three small children, and we were trying to pay off a $30,000 debt from emergency surgery that my wife had earlier in the year. I went to the Lord in prayer thinking that the best course of action would be to file a wrongful termination lawsuit and sue those guys for a big pile of money. But the Lord spoke to my heart as clear as day he said, “You don’t trust Me.” Well, I knew that was a sin, so I repented of my plan and spent my time looking for another job instead. After a few weeks went by I had three job offers that were all for about $30,000 a year, which wasn’t a bad salary in 1988. At this point we were borrowing money to pay our rent and people at our church were bringing us groceries so we could feed ourselves and our children, so I was under a lot of pressure to make a decision. I was earnestly praying to God asking which job I should take. I couldn’t get a clear answer, so I kept praying. One morning my wife said, “I was praying for you this morning and the Lord told me you shouldn’t accept any job that pays less than $35,000 a year.” None of the jobs I had been offered paid that much, so I asked her, “Are you sure that’s God? Maybe it’s the devil?” She was a little annoyed with me because she was sure that she was hearing from God. I struggled with that, but the next day one of our friends came over and he told me, “Brother, I was praying for you and God told me that you shouldn’t accept any job that pays less than $35,000 dollars a year.” It was almost word-for- word what my wife had told me the day before. As far as I was concerned, that was a clear confirmation that my wife was hearing God clearly. So, in spite of the fact that we were under a lot of financial pressure, I turned down the three job offers and continued searching for employment. I sent out many letters and resumes and ended up with a few interviews. One of them was at a company in Silicon Valley. During the interview process I was given a tour of their facilities and I wasn’t very impressed because there was so much empty space in their engineering and manufacturing buildings. I thought they weren’t being very wise. But they offered me a starting position at $36,000 a year and offered to pay our moving expenses from Santa Barbara, about 300 miles away. After I got hired, I discovered that they were the fourth fastest growing company in the United States! They had developed ethernet technology that was extremely profitable. After I was there for less than a year, they decided to bump my yearly salary up to $50,000, give me stock options, and a $5,000 bonus. By that point in time we also had all of our medical bills paid off! I could have chosen to follow my instincts and hire a lawyer to sue my employer for wrongful termination, but, by God’s grace, I chose to trust Him and follow His leading instead. I am so thankful that I did. It is important that we do not forget the times of God’s deliverances. There are many places in God’s Word where He tells us to remember. Here are a few examples: Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wondrous works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced, you offspring of Israel His servant, Jacob’s descendants ​ — ​His chosen ones (1 Chronicles 16:11-13) You may say to yourself, “My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,” but remember that the LORD your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) I will remember the LORD’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders. (Psalm 77:11) I remember the days of old; I meditate on all You have done; I reflect on the work of Your hands. (Psalm 143:5) “Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.” (Revelation 3:3) So, whenever God does something wonderful in your life you need to remember these demonstrations of His faithfulness. The next time you are going through a fiery trial remind yourself that God always keeps his promises!