One step at a time

Oswald Chambers

Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly; many things lie unsolved, and the biggest test of all is that God looks as if he were totally indifferent.

W

hen our previous landlord told us to vacate the house we were living in we quickly found ourselves in a situation over which we had no control. We had to relocate and we had to consider the many things that are involved with a relocation. In our case those things were mainly:

• Where will we live?
• Where will we attend church?
• Where will our son attend school?

The home God has provided

Right from the start we agreed on some basic assumptions about the last two things on the list:

1. No school system is fully prepared for our son and it would be almost impossible to research the school systems in a way that would tell us in which system we should place our son. So we agreed that we would have to leave this priority in the hands of God because we certainly could not do it on our own.

The sunrise behind our house
about two weeks ago
2. The other assumption regarded what church we would attend. I have a devastatingly terrible record at locating good churches for our family to attend. After disastrous church associations of eye-popping proportions, we had to agree that this was another area that we should not research, but should leave up to God.

David leaning on the church

So we moved ahead with the first thing on the list—finding a house. We worked diligently toward locating and purchasing a house. As our landlord’s move-out date loomed ever closer, and our mortgage approval was not forthcoming, we switched our focus to rental properties—only to find that we were not able to secure a rental property either. We began to have serious concerns that we would find ourselves homeless. We spoke to our landlords to see if we could stay in the house a bit longer while we tried to find a new place to live. They told us that was not an option. The move-out date they had given us was firm and non-negotiable. We realized that this priority, too, had to be turned over to God because we simply could not do it. And so we did—all three of our primary priorities were placed in God’s loving hands.

The church we’ve attended for the past two weeks

With less than two weeks remaining before our move-out date, God provided an incredibly beautiful home for us. It is far better than any of the houses we had looked at for purchase or lease and it is absolutely perfect for our family’s needs and even our taste. This house was not remotely like anything we were looking for, but God provided on this front far better than all we could ask or think.

We moved into the house and began the slow process of visiting area churches to see which one God had prepared for us. We knew He had a church for us, but now it was up to us to look at the churches and remain open to his leading. And so we have visited multiple churches, of varied traditions and cultures. And until two weeks ago, we did not sense God’s hand of guidance and approval. Until the Sunday before last.

Part of the interior of the church

We had run through most of the local churches in our new town, so we decided to check out a church that is a significant distance away from our home. The church we visited is unlike anything we were really looking for and is much farther away from our home than we were hoping for. But when we visited this church the Sunday before last, we immediately felt a peace about this church that we believe is the leading hand of God. Even our son loves this church.

One of the sights along the way to church

We returned to the church again yesterday and the sense of God’s leading persisted. The preaching has been outstanding. The congregation, although tiny and demographically different than what we had expected, seems to be a close-knit family that cares deeply for one another and also cares deeply for the lost in their community, across the nation, and around the world. The pastor demonstrates great love and concern for the people under his shepherding care.

The pastor of the church we have been attending

And the significant drive to and from the church is through some of the most scenically beautiful country I have ever traveled. So the drive to and from the church is tremendously calming and therapeutic.

On this front God again appears to have provided far above all that we could ask or think.

The final concern is our son’s schooling situation. This is still up in the air and has presented us with unique and frightening concerns. As of a meeting this morning, we have run out of options in the local area and if our son is not able to maintain in his current situation, they will have to move him to a day treatment center far away from our local area. This seems to us to be a terrible option.

Taken from the driveway of the church

And so, once again, we leave it in God’s loving hands. I have not been able to accomplish any of the things we saw as supremely important. But so far God has provided for us far beyond anything we could ever have imagined. He is a loving and gracious God.

Please pray along with us that God will provide in this situation in a way that brings glory and honor to himself and brings blessings to our son. The home and the church are so much more than we deserve, and yet God saw fit to bless us so graciously with these things.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by.” Life is like that; one stitch at a time taken patiently, and the pattern will come out all right like embroidery.

And so, like Abraham pleading one more time for God to stay his hand of destruction against Sodom and Gomorrah, I am asking God for this one more thing. Please provide for our son’s education. We will praise God while we are waiting for him to provide, and we will praise God for his providence once it has been revealed.