Pastor Ben Burkholder

Phone: (412) 367-5000 ext. 224
Email: benburkholder@northparkepc.org

Several years before I became a pastor, I was driving up 279, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. I had just worked a long day outside in the sun and was tired. It was summer, and I was working as a landscaper to make ends meet to finish my graduate degree. My hope in taking the job was to make enough money to pay my bills and then use my afternoons and evenings for research. It was good in theory, but it wasn’t coming to fruition. The dog days of summer were draining me, and I was coming up empty on the kind of energy it takes to focus on hard, mental work. On that drive home, I let God know how frustrated I was and that he didn’t seem to be doing anything about it. The prayer was raw and emotional, not my usual style. When I got home, I parked my car and went to the mailbox. I was not prepared for what I found. There was a check given by a generous family member with a note that said the gift was to help me stay focused on my studies and not get distracted by having to make ends meet. I was stunned. In spite of my rant-filled prayer in the car, God heard me and met me in my frustration. Not all of my prayers get answered in such a drastic way. Still, this experience of God’s provision has underscored the fact that he is always listening, even to our ranting prayers, and even when it seems like heaven is silent.