Judg.12; Acts 16; Jer. 25; Mark 11

I had once asked my husband if he ever considered moving from where we lived and he said no–listing many reasons why he didn’t want to. I was surprised, a very long time later, when he put a few listings under my nose. (One of them being the house we’re buying next week.) When I asked him why the change of heart, he said he was curious to see what was available. In the months that followed, we were surprised to see obstacles removed, doors being opened and many other signs of encouragement.

I remember the February day standing in the yard of the house we’ll one day buy, snow on the ground, looking out across the yard. I remember saying, “God, if you want us here, you’ll make it happen. And I’m going to trust you.”

Some days, the trusting was easier than others.

The short story: after ten months on the market, we got an offer in May and settled last Monday. We moved our things out of our house of ten years. It’s been an emotional journey. I walked out of my former house yesterday, leaving keys and garage remotes on the counter for the new owners whom I had not met. I thought I was done.

I had to drop off cable boxes and equipment at Comcast. The rep there informed me I had to also turn in the telephone modem, which was attached to a ceiling beam in the basement of the house I no longer owned or had keys to. I called our agent and he gave me the buyers’ phone number to make arrangements to get it. I spoke to the wife. She was kind and complimentary of the house, expressing their excitement of raising their children there, of the rooms that seemed decorated for them as if we knew them, for the carpet that was soft under their feet–they wouldn’t change a thing.

“This is an answer to prayer,” she said.

“You’re Christian?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. She shared a bit of her story. She went on to say how God’s hand had been in this the whole time. I had seen it too, these months leading to now. Her words a confirmation of sorts and a form of closure.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 (NIV)

I wondered if he had some larger plan about where we’d live–was he so concerned with those details? From the Dr. Seuss-inspired kid’s room I left behind that is perfect for a new owner’s 9-month-old, to the Tinkerbell room in a next house that captured my 4-year-old’s heart–did those things matter in a divine plan? Weren’t there Bigger Issues more important than these? I am curious to see the unfolding of his plan in our lives.

I don’t think of God as a whimsical, happy-maker wish fulfiller. Instead, these days especially, I am in reverential awe of his power and presence. His work in my life–from the wringing and wrenching of this heart this past year … to a place we’ll call home and raise our kids–I am amazed at his work in the details.

Father, I praise you. Thank you for being with me during the struggle and hard days. Thank you for allowing me personal glimpses into your majesty. Thank you for closure, and new beginnings.

Courtney (66books365)

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