If there is one thing I know…God is absolutely worthy of anything and everything we could possibly do for Him. Living the life of an obedient Christian comes with its struggles but it also comes with an overwhelming joy and peace that are hard to describe. Sometimes the way He works is very subtle. Other times He does things that make your jaw drop. When a friend of mine recently told her story to me I knew I must write about it here. No worries though, I asked to make sure I could share it. Her answer was an emphatic YES!! Please do!!
My friend that I will call Sally was married 13 years ago. At that time her and her husband bought a starter house while she was in college. To this day they live in the same house but she has grown restless living there. Over the last 10 years she has begged and pleaded with God to move. She wasn’t exactly sure where she wanted to go but it was a feeling that she couldn’t ignore. Her husband always seemed to come up with reasons why they couldn’t move but she continued to pray.
3 weeks ago out of nowhere she started packing. Her husband saw her and said, “What are you doing?” Sally confidently said back to him, “We are moving! I don’t know where and I don’t know when. But we are moving! Our time here is over!” There was to be no mistake. He knew exactly where his wife stood on the issue. He knew she was serious.
A week later Sally and her husband were having lunch with their small group from church when one of the ladies in the group spoke up, “Hey Sally, I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks. What have you been up too?”
Sally responded back, “I have been packing.”
“Really,” her friend said. “Are you moving?”
Sally confidently said, “Yes!”
Her surprised friend said, “Really? When? Where?”
“I don’t know,” Sally said, “but we’re packing and we’re moving somewhere; wherever God wants us to go.”
Her friend from church said, “Well I have a friend that is trying to sell her house, but she lives several miles south of here.
Sally then said what most any rational person would say in that situation. “Great! Can I go see it today?”
By 4:30 that evening they were standing in the home of a middle aged couple that Sally and her husband did not know. Last year the couple had put the house on the market. Shortly after, the gal had lost her job. To make ends meet, her husband had been working 7 days a week yet they still came up just a bit short. The couple prayed to God for help. Then the Christian woman did what any normal person would do when they didn’t have enough money for food; she began volunteering at the local food pantry. The people at the pantry loved her enthusiasm and work ethic so much that they decided to give her $500 a month in free food for her help. God answers prayers!
My friend that I will call Sally was married 13 years ago. At that time her and her husband bought a starter house while she was in college. To this day they live in the same house but she has grown restless living there. Over the last 10 years she has begged and pleaded with God to move. She wasn’t exactly sure where she wanted to go but it was a feeling that she couldn’t ignore. Her husband always seemed to come up with reasons why they couldn’t move but she continued to pray.
3 weeks ago out of nowhere she started packing. Her husband saw her and said, “What are you doing?” Sally confidently said back to him, “We are moving! I don’t know where and I don’t know when. But we are moving! Our time here is over!” There was to be no mistake. He knew exactly where his wife stood on the issue. He knew she was serious.
A week later Sally and her husband were having lunch with their small group from church when one of the ladies in the group spoke up, “Hey Sally, I haven’t seen you in a couple weeks. What have you been up too?”
Sally responded back, “I have been packing.”
“Really,” her friend said. “Are you moving?”
Sally confidently said, “Yes!”
Her surprised friend said, “Really? When? Where?”
“I don’t know,” Sally said, “but we’re packing and we’re moving somewhere; wherever God wants us to go.”
Her friend from church said, “Well I have a friend that is trying to sell her house, but she lives several miles south of here.
Sally then said what most any rational person would say in that situation. “Great! Can I go see it today?”
By 4:30 that evening they were standing in the home of a middle aged couple that Sally and her husband did not know. Last year the couple had put the house on the market. Shortly after, the gal had lost her job. To make ends meet, her husband had been working 7 days a week yet they still came up just a bit short. The couple prayed to God for help. Then the Christian woman did what any normal person would do when they didn’t have enough money for food; she began volunteering at the local food pantry. The people at the pantry loved her enthusiasm and work ethic so much that they decided to give her $500 a month in free food for her help. God answers prayers!
In Sally’s words, as soon as she walked into their beautiful home, “I was mesmerized!” She looked at her husband and said, “I don’t have to go any further! This is where God has called us to move!” Her husband wasn’t quite so convinced but after touring the entire house, he fell in love.
They went around the house and prayed in every room. They then went outside and prayed over the land. They wanted to be sure that this is what God wanted. Their prayers were answered moments later.
While Sally and the homeowner talked by the pool, the homeowner casually said, “You know, I have been praying that God would send someone special to buy this home and I have been praying for a year that I would get the opportunity to move to Fox Meadow subdivision in Greenville. Where do you and your husband live?” Sally struggled to find the words as her emotions felt like they were going to burst at the words she had heard. “We live in Fox Meadow in Greenville.” The homeowner then said with seriousness in her eyes, “Why don’t we just swap houses?” Tears began to roll down Sally’s cheeks as she thought, are you kidding me God? Really?
That same night the middle aged couple was now standing in Sally’s house. Like a story book that couldn’t have been written with a happier ending, they loved the house. Later that week both couples signed the papers to make it official; they swapped houses. Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”
God answers prayers far more than we realize but we must always be looking. How can we see where we do not look? How can we look if we don’t have the time?
James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
They went around the house and prayed in every room. They then went outside and prayed over the land. They wanted to be sure that this is what God wanted. Their prayers were answered moments later.
While Sally and the homeowner talked by the pool, the homeowner casually said, “You know, I have been praying that God would send someone special to buy this home and I have been praying for a year that I would get the opportunity to move to Fox Meadow subdivision in Greenville. Where do you and your husband live?” Sally struggled to find the words as her emotions felt like they were going to burst at the words she had heard. “We live in Fox Meadow in Greenville.” The homeowner then said with seriousness in her eyes, “Why don’t we just swap houses?” Tears began to roll down Sally’s cheeks as she thought, are you kidding me God? Really?
That same night the middle aged couple was now standing in Sally’s house. Like a story book that couldn’t have been written with a happier ending, they loved the house. Later that week both couples signed the papers to make it official; they swapped houses. Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”
God answers prayers far more than we realize but we must always be looking. How can we see where we do not look? How can we look if we don’t have the time?
James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”