Living in the Shome has been a faith adventure, no doubt. The
conclusion to our time here has been no different; in fact, God has ramped up
the faith story He’s been writing for our family. I have been praying daily to
see His supernatural intervention in our circumstances—a miracle. I’ll tell you
our story and let you see for yourself if He answered.
January 2012: We start looking at houses online. One, in
particular, grabs our attention. But as we prepare to make an offer a month
later, the owner suddenly takes it off the market after 10 months. Weird. We
thought this was going to be so quick and easy.
February/March/April: We keep looking. Nothing. We realize
the market has turned and inventory (houses for sale) has plummeted. I start
praying for a miracle.
Late March: My friend Felicia and I start doing Beth Moore’s
Believing God Bible study together.
Neither of us knows anything about it. Both of us are searching for homes.
April: I tell Kevin that I’d like to find a house by July 1
so that we can get into it before school starts. Our family starts praying for
that together. We have no prospects, but we’ve got a lot of time. House sales
pick up in the summer, right? God speaks to me from Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please
God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him.” I’m seeking like never before.
May: We’re now checking the MLS every day. Absolutely
nothing appeals to us.
Late May: Felicia and I, who have been plowing through this
Bible study, realize we’re going to have to slow down with the kids out of
school. We had hoped to finish it before school ended, but maybe there’s a
reason we need to stick with it through the summer. Every lesson speaks to me
on waiting, seeking God, trusting in His faithfulness. Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance
about what we do not see.”
May 31: Felicia finds a house. My hope is renewed.
June 1: A third summer in the Shome. I did not sign up for
this, and I’m growing restless. Psalm
40:17: “I am poor and needy, but, Lord God, you care about me, and you come to
my rescue. Please hurry up and help.” (If David can ask God to hurry, so
can I.)
June 9: Maybe God doesn’t appreciate my July 1 deadline. I
meet with a former author of mine, someone I greatly respect, and ask him what
he thinks God thinks when we pray with a deadline. “I think He’s delighted,” my
friend replies. He then prays with me not only for a house by July 1, but a house
with all the things we’re looking for. “How many square feet?” he wants to
know. I hadn’t thought of asking God that!
June 10: We’ve decided to increase our price range. Maybe we
can help God along by creating a bigger window for Him to work with? (Because
obviously He needs our help?) I am now looking on the MLS day and night, and
Matthew 6:33 comes to mind—the only verse I have memorized in the King James: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness, and all of these things shall be added unto you.” I resolve
to have my quiet time before looking
at the MLS!
June 11: “Oh, God, what if we’ve prayed for July 1 with the
kids and you don’t answer? What will that do to their faith? What will it do to
mine?” Mark 9:24: “I do believe; help me
overcome my unbelief!”
June 12: My reading from the Believing God study: “And so we celebrated because the Lord had
indeed worked miracles for us” (Psalm 126:3). A few days later, this same
verse will appear on the screen at our church. A sacred echo! Got it. Memorized it.
June 19: The anniversary of our move to the Shome. We made
it two years!
June 23: We pack up our friend Peggy, who is moving to
Arizona. She seems to be the primary person God wanted us to meet down here,
and we have spent hours and hours with her. Because she keeps falling and can
no longer live alone, she has decided to move to Arizona with her family. While
I am sad to see her go, I also feel like God is releasing our family from our
assignment down here.
June 26: The most destructive fire to ever hit Colorado
levels 347 houses in our city in one evening. Our focus and prayers shift away
from our house and onto theirs. The whole city is sad and smoky.
June 29: I whine to Kevin that I’m sick of summer, sick of
the heat, sick of the fire, sick of the Shome, sick of waiting on God. I start
composing a blog post in my head about how much easier it is to focus on your
frustrations than on your faith. I review my journal and find a passage I got
from a book I worked on last summer: “The
Lord was testing you to make sure you trust Him, so that He could be good to
you later on.” I’m sick of the testing, but I can’t even complain about it
because we’re in a disaster zone, and at least I have a place to live. There’s
nothing I hate more in myself than ungratefulness.
June 30: It’s 95 degrees, and we have a t-ball double
header. In the smoke. I check my e-mail at the game. There’s a new MLS listing.
My friend Rebecca looks up the address on her phone. It’s a house on 3.6 acres
a half-mile from our school. In our original price range. We drive there
straight from the t-ball field.
July 1: Although there aren’t supposed to be any showings
until Monday, our realtor gets us in on Sunday night. We walk through the
house. It needs a lot of work, but we know it’s the one.
July 5: We’re under contract. We aim to close on August 3. School
starts August 20.
And so we celebrated
Because the Lord
indeed
Has worked miracles
for us.
