LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED

This has been another week of living vicariously for me—this time through my daughter Julie. It’s been quiet here at home with nothing much going on, but I’ve been on pins and needles as Julie and David came down to the wire in trying to sell their house in Shreveport, LA and find another one in Montgomery, AL. David had to report for duty on May 15th, and we had prayed and prayed for months that the Lord would help them sell their house before they arrived in Alabama, if it was His will. They left home on the morning of the 15th with it still unsold, but halfway there, with only a couple hours to go before arriving in Alabama, they received a call that they had a buyer! How we rejoiced and praised and thanked the Lord!

And how we laughed! It seemed to us that God has such a sense of humor! In all the months we had been praying, we’d been saying (and truly trusting in our hearts and minds that it was true!), that He would sell that house in His own time and way. And of course, I, as their mother, was going to the Lord and reminding Him, “Lord, you promised if we commit our paths unto You will give us the desires of our hearts, and I don’t know anyone, who is more committed to you than Julie and David! They deserve this, Lord! They honor and obey and serve You more then anyone I know! Puh-leeeeeease, sell their house before David has to report for duty—uh, if it is Your will, of course, Lord!” (I can’t help myself—right or wrong, I’m a mother!) Anyway, we laughed because it seemed the Lord was saying, “Do you really trust me? Let’s take it right down to the wire, my little children, and really see!” He gave us exactly what we had prayed for, but tested our patience and faith to the very end.

Once they knew the house was sold it gave them the freedom and an open door to go ahead and look for another house while they were there. They only had a few days to search and make a decision before Julie and the kids would have to return to Louisiana. I joined them on the internet in a house hunt for a suitable home to rent. (They decided to rent instead of buy since they are unsure how long they will be stationed there. It could be as long as four years, or as short as two years, and if that were the case they did not want to have to turn around and sell again in just a couple years.) They needed a place that would not only suit them now, but that would also fit a growing family of five or six children when their adoptions go through. There were not a great many homes for rent in their price range and in the areas they needed to look, but once again, at the last minute almost, they found a home that seemed just right for them.

Julie and David had made the decision that if they did not have perfect peace about any of the houses they looked at, they would just forget it until she and the kids could join David in Alabama and they would resume the search then. It would mean having to put their belongings in storage for a time and staying in temporary lodging, but they did not want to rush ahead of the Lord and choose something that might not be His best for them just because they were in a hurry and feeling pressured. The Lord had given each of them, on the same day but individually, the reminder, Be still and know that I am God. They would wait on Him to lead and direct them to the right house in His time.

They did not have a long list of criteria to fill. Basically they just needed a house that would pass the home study as far as size and a safe and healthy environment for the children. They weren’t overly concerned with the age or style of the home, or whether it had updated amenities or if it was “good for entertaining,” etc. In the end, God gave them a house that fit their needs and so much more than they were even asking for or had dreamed of! It is out in the country, newer and updated with granite countertops, commercial grade stainless appliances, brand new carpet, freshly painted throughout, two-story garage/barn, in their price range, great landlords—and with plenty of room for five or six children! Best of all, they had the perfect peace for which they had prayed. Upon speaking with the landlords, they could see how the Lord had prepared that house and sold their home in Shreveport at precisely the right times to coincide with one anther and make it all work out for their good, as Romans 8: 28 tells us.

God is so good always, but when He gives us so much more than we ask for, it is humbling and awe-inspiring. I am delighted with how the Lord has worked this out for Julie and David. How wonderful that they can now move door-to-door! It will be so much easier on the children to leave the home they love, now that they have seen and are looking forward to the new house. Julie is thrilled with the new place and eagerly anticipating making that house into a home for her family. David is happy it is move-in ready and they won’t have to do a thing but carry their things in and set them down.

I’ve thought about this over the week. We have another home we’re looking forward to, also, that is so much more than we could ever dream of! We have a place that is being prepared for us right now. When we finally get there, it will be well worth the wait and there won’t be a thing we’ll have to do to make it just right for us! We can leave our old earthly house behind, with all its problems and shortcomings, and enjoy the perfect home our Father has prepared for us. We won’t be moving any “stuff” with us, either, because He will furnish everything we’ll need. We won’t have to worry about monthly payments. The price has already been paid and all we must do is accept it by faith. When we’re moving, we don’t know, but He does, and when all things are ready He’ll take us there. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3)

I’m looking forward to my new, perfect home! It’s in the perfect neighborhood, with perfect neighbors and the best of landlords! One of my dad’s favorite hymns was “Mansion Over the Hilltop.”

I'm satisfied with just a cottage below,

A little silver and a little gold;

But in that city where the ransomed will shine,

I want a gold one that's silver-lined.

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I've got a mansion just over the hilltop,

In that bright land where we'll never grow old;

And someday yonder we will never more wonder,

But walk on streets that are pure as gold.

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Don't think me poor or deserted or lonely.

I'm not discouraged, I'm heaven bound;

I'm but a pilgrim in search of a city,

I want a mansion, a harp and a crown.

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I've got a mansion just over the hilltop,

In that bright land where we'll never grow old;

And someday yonder we will never more wonder,

But walk on streets that are pure as gold.

Dad’s already waiting for us there, with many of our other loved ones and friends. What a wonderful reunion it will be someday when Jesus calls us home!