I enlisted the help of some wonderful friends and family to clean and repair and give some much needed TLC to the house we were headed for (it had been sitting empty for over a year). About 20 people gathered last Saturday to clean out cobwebs, put shelf liner in the kitchen, scrub floors, clean bathrooms, pressure wash the outside . . . we worked hard and got it ready to move into.
Later in the afternoon on Saturday as I was getting ready to leave, Carolyn (our agent and the owner of the house) walked in and proceeded to tell me that the buyers of our current house had found a few things in the home inspection that were not to their liking and now wanted out of the contract. Because of the nature of what these issues are (thankfully, they aren't serious issues for us to take care of) they had the right to do that.
Interestingly, in that moment when I should have panicked, I felt extreme peace. And I told Carolyn that. God has not brought us this far to leave us stranded.
So here we are. Our house is about 80% packed and ready to move. The new house, ready for us to move into. But we no longer have a buyer for our current house.
Sunday night, I was pondering what I needed to do. Originally, I had been planning on continuing the packing jobs since we would be potentially moving 4 days later. But now, we were on hold. Did I now need to UNPACK these boxes and get the house ready to show again? I felt like God gently said, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). "Don't take a picture off the wall, but don't put any back on the wall either. Just be still." So I did.
And now we wait. We wait with hope. We wait with the assurance that none of this is a surprise to the Lord.
This morning, I was thinking of some of the "heroes of faith" mentioned in the Bible and thought it would be good to just quote some of these men, learning from their lives that God will ALWAYS be faithful. And He does have a plan for us (Jer. 29:11).
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
(Moses, as he stood before the Red Sea wondering how he would lead the people of Israel with Pharoah's chariots in pursuit).
"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
(Job, in the midst of his extreme suffering).
"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.
He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
God sends His love and His faithfulness."
(David, when he was fleeing for his life from Saul).
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior."
(Habakkuk, as the Babylonians were about to take over Israel).
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
(Paul, writing from a Roman prison).
Even as I write this, I'm very aware that the fact that I'm in limbo in boxes, wondering if our house will sell, wondering if we will still move to the house on our old street . . . those are not life and death issues. We aren't in prison like Paul, being chased down by military enemies like David, or infected with sores all over our bodies like Job. And yet, God cares about everything we're experiencing and He is watching over us, COMPLETELY aware of our circumstances. These seasons are when the Lord shows us His creativity in answering our prayers. He will not leave us hanging. Yes, we may have to learn to wait. But there is purpose in the waiting. And His timing will be perfect.
"Wait for the Lord.
Be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."
(Psalm 27:14)
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