God is faithful! God is true! God is the God of the 11th hour or often the 11th hour and the 59th minute. He loves to stretch our faith because this is how we grow and learn to trust more. I hope you find this encouraging as I share the beginnings of the provision of God shown through a hard lesson of obedience and faith.
When I put my house on the market I felt Holy Spirit say to me that I should expect a full asking price offer by April 2nd (within 12 days) and contracts to be completed within 6 weeks. I prayed and declared that this provision was mine and all of the friends I shared it with stood with me in believing that this was God's word to me.
On Monday 31st March, while I was staying with a friend in Milan, I was offered £108,000, just £2,000 below the asking price. I turned it down and explained that I would accept £110,000. A little later I got a call saying the prospective buyers would not up their offer but would walk away. What to do? Trust God or take the offer? I told them I would give them an answer in 24 hours.
As soon as I had put the phone down I texted a few friends asking them to pray for me. All I told them was I had a yes or no decision to make. The first reply I got said let the peace of God be my rear guard. Then a friend texted me Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones, though I wrote it down as Ezekiel 47. As soon as I was given Ezekiel 37 I knew Holy Spirit was saying that I should declare what was not as if it was, so this is what I did. I declared that a full asking price offer was mine and would be made. Then I chose to read the verses and turned to Ezekiel 47 (the scripture that I had written down though it was not what I had been given). This was about the river that flows from the temple and gets deeper and deeper. As I read Holy Spirit asked me which part of the river I wanted to be in, the part round my ankles where I was in control or the river that no man could cross where God was in control. It was not a hard choice, I want to be in over my head where God is wholly and completely in control. Added to all of this, as I had been typing up my old journals I had come across the following that I had written in 2008, 'thank you Papa that our obedience leads to your abundant provision'. Wow! There was no doubt in me that obedience was the right way to go.
When the estate agent called on Tuesday I turned down the offer and they reiterated that the offer would not be increased and then said that there were no other viewings lined up. I stood by my decision and declared that though it looked bad from an earthly perspective, I would believe that the heavenly perspective looked very different! As soon as I had done this I had a text saying to use the narrow gate, going neither to the left or the right. This just felt so like Papa saying well done, you've done the right thing that I had the peace of God as my rear guard (the first text I had received). All I could think was what an awesome God I have!
The next day, Wednesday, I was flying home from Milan and it was 2nd April, D Day for my offer. Nothing! As I was driving home from the airport in the early evening I was talking to Papa and saying that I just did not get it. I know he is faithful and I truly believed that he had spoken. In an instant I knew I had to keep believing that though from an earthly perspective it looked hopeless, from a heavenly perspective my offer was already made. I decided to stand and believe the heavenly perspective and began thanking God and rejoicing in his amazing provision.
All day on Thursday I was expectant, believing that there would be a call offering me the full price for my house. By 7pm I had heard nothing but I declared (with the wonderful friends I was with) that I would trust God because he is always faithful, always good, in every circumstance. About 7.30pm I had a text from my neighbour asking if I had responded to the increased offer her friend had given. I knew nothing about this and so I rang her. Within 15 minutes I knew an asking price offer would be put in the next day and that this should really have happened on Monday 31st! Wow! Not only did God prove faithful to his word but he taught me so much about obedience and faith too through the way he allowed it to happen. How I jumped and danced around my friends' front room as we celebrated together our awesome God and his amazing provision. The next day, sure enough, the asking price offer was confirmed and accepted.
On 9th April I got a message from the estate agent, the buyers were unable to proceed, the sale had fallen through. Pants! Even though it did not make sense and I definitely did not understand, I made the conscious decision to trust God and rejoice in his provision. I chose to believe Papa and not the circumstances I could see. I did not see how I could now have contracts in 6 weeks but I did get my asking price offer and I know my God is faithful and so I chose to trust.
As I was praising God I felt he slipped a thought into my head but it seemed impossible so I dismissed it. As I was driving to meet a friend for coffee later, I asked God how his suggestion could be, it did not seem to meet my financial needs. However, my friend suggested the same thing the moment we talked about it. I decided I should seek God more for whether this suggestion is his plan and, in truth, it could mean contracts in 6 weeks, just a different type of contract! This would be a great surprise to me but not to God who knows the beginning from the end and is always faithful, even if it does not look the way we think it should.
So, as I end this blog I am seeking God for whether this new suggestion is right. I know if it is he will confirm it and prepare my steps before me to walk it out. My heart's desire is just to be obedient and only to do what he is calling me to do, so I will await his confirmation before acting. The one thing I can declare with all my heart is that his provision is more than enough and at the right time it will be provided, however it may come!
I hope you have been encouraged by reading this today and believe that next week I will be able to share how God has confirmed the next steps and reveal how his provision is to come. Halelujah! How blessed I am and I hope you feel blessed too.
Though I have never been through the house buying and selling experience, plenty of non Christian friends have and they've encountered roller coasters, however despite this in most cases the end result surpassed even their expectations too, or when things fell through it became a measure of protection. I admire the way you are standing in faith here to wait for the right result, because it will come, interestingly in my church last weekend we covered Lead us not into temptation.... all the time we are all tempted and most of the time we succumb to temptation too, so stick in their with the faith Papa will sort it, even if the paperwork is drawn out slightly later than the 6 week period, it will come good. God bless you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement Karen :)
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