Dear Reading Friends,
Today has been quite an eventful day in our world! Our moving date has been set in stone, and it will take place in 2 weeks. (yikes!) This has been a long, long hard road for our little family...
I want to give those of you currently in waiting on God mode a glimpse of hope, so bear with me as I explain to those who may be new today.
Six months ago my dear husband took a job in another State, and went to live with our wonderful son and daughter-in-law. He has occupied a 12x12 room with all his possessions and shared it with our son's comic collection and action figures. (He is quite the collector too!) Our youngest son and I and our pets remained here to wait for our house to sell. He also stayed here because winter was coming on and I could not manage all the snow and stuff alone. My elderly mom was very ill, terminally ill with COPD and Emphysema as well as being legally blind from macular degeneration and having rheumatoid arthritis. I helped my dad care for her at home over the past 2 years.
After my husband went out for the job, mom got much worse, and we alternately feared she would and would not live to see Christmas. In January her battle ended and she went to meet Jesus. I endured all of this alone, apart from my beloved husband.
The waiting grew very long here...I was quite discouraged that the housing market stunk (to put it mildly) and I feared we would never be reunited as a family. As time passed, I realized that many of the emotions I had over the past 2 years had been set aside and I began to "wake up" that way. I struggled with crying jags, mourning the loss of my treasured mom, change of life issues, loneliness, fear, worry, and aspects of hopelessness.
We all were very discouraged, but none more than I. Honestly, there were times I despaired of ever getting out of here, and there were times I doubted God would ever answer my prayers in the affirmative. I took some comfort in knowing I had done all I could ever do humanly, continued to pray and was left with literally no other option but to fully trust God.
I battled applying what I "know" to my circumstances and living what I know to be true. I preached to myself, counseled myself, admonished myself, and experienced the perseverance of the saints in the most real way imaginable. I experienced being kept by God, and know His grace was lavished on me in spite of my struggles.
Six long months have gone by now. I have learned much about myself during these months, little of it complimentary! I have wrestled with my flesh like no other time in my life! I have experienced God in ways that only people who are in the midst of Job-like trials can experience Him. God has been completely faithful to Himself, and to His Word. He has never let me go, in spite of my grumbling and complaining. He has continued to pour out His marvelous grace on me and my life in spite of my discontent. Every time I said "ENOUGH!!" He said, "No, not quite yet..." and stretched my faith more and more and more until I thought I would truly snap.
And now...it all comes together. I have secured a position in my new home town that will allow us to carry both mortgages- easily until this house sells. The job will be allow me to minister to people with visual problems and "counsel" them, and give them glorious hope! The new job pays more than what I thought it would, and I will be in a position that I will thoroughly enjoy! We purchased a beautiful home that meets our true needs and our desires, and will allow us to minister to those God brings into our lives in our new home town.
Our counseling ministry will expand to include the two States, and the truth of the sufficiency of Scripture will only continue on to new places because of this move.
Just as my friend Job experienced the overwhelming goodness of God after the siege, I am too. He has blessed me exceedingly abundantly more than I could ask or imagine! Dear Ones, those of you that are currently in the vortex of the cyclone, please hold fast to your Lord! The very first thing the Lord reminded me today as all this news unfolded before me was this:
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:11)
Even though I didn't know God's plans, He did and He was working and putting everything in place even though I could not see. I can beg you to trust Him, and to wait on Him. He promises to bring good out of evil and joy out of sorrow for those who love Him, and when "exceedingly, abundantly more" comes to your door, you will see He is always totally faithful. He understands you emotions and your pain. Run to Him! Cling to Him! Hope in Him! Cry out to Him!
To God be the glory!Labels: Hope, Sovereignty of God, Trials