Insights: The Life of John Phillips (Part 6)
Betty Phillips on Aug 03, 2016
Vancouver was a great city, and after he and Jean were married, John, at last, began to feel settled. They both had good jobs and they were comfortable in the new apartment where they had moved. Jean had been employed by and upscale women’s clothing store a few years earlier, and the owner of the business was pleased with her above-average taste for stylish clothes. From all outward appearances it seemed that this fine Christian couple was on their way to “easy street.” John’s salary had been increased, yet it was by no means at the level he might reach. He knew that he was being groomed to become a “bank manager.” The bank had much to teach John, but so did God! His Word clearly teaches, “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” Psalms 62:10.
One day John was called into the bank office and informed that he was being transferred to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. There was no use to argue. This was a common policy when one was being trained for management. So, John had to go to their apartment and inform Jean that they were moving. Even though a raise in salary accompanied the transfer, Jean was greatly distressed at the news. This meant that she would have to give up the job she loved, and moreover, they would be further separated from her family, which had meant so much to both of them.
John was driven to his knees, and to the Word of God. Such passages as “Trust in Him at all times, ye people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us.” Psalms 62:8. God did not turn a deaf ear to His servant, but helped him in ways he would never have expected. Within a matter of months, Jean discovered that she was to be a mother, and in a day when child care posed a serious problem, Jean had no choice but to stay at home and raise her own baby. Then, within a year, it became evident that she was to have another child. “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out.” Proverbs 11:53.