Find God at Work
In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working."
John 5:15
Welcome back to the Writing Wisdom blog!
Last week, I introduced a new topic: seasons of change. (If you haven't already, go back and read Looking for the Same before diving into today's post!) I summarized all of the many transitions I have been through over the last 10 to 15 years, and closed with a challenge for anyone going through a big change to focus on what is the same. Today, I want to talk more about my current season of change and how God has been at work within it.
About a year ago, my husband received word that he matched into a one-year fellowship program in Arkansas. We were living in Virginia at the time, and had recently made the decision that regardless of where fellowship took us, we wanted to ultimately put down roots in Virginia. We had discussed how a fellowship close to home would be ideal, but of course knew better than to make any assumptions - we had been burned before. It's funny, now I don't even remember what our top three locations were; what I do remember is that Arkansas was not one of them. So when my husband called with the news that day, we laughed. It was a laugh reminiscent of Sarah's when God informed her she would indeed have a child in her old age: part disbelief and part the surrender of, "Okay God, if you say so…" (Genesis 18:12)
Of course, once the question of where had been answered, we found ourselves in the midst of how and what's next. Just a few of the questions that needed answers included:
Will we live in an apartment or a rental home?
What should we do with our house for the year we're gone?
Where will the kids go to school?
What do we bring with us?
What do we leave behind?
Will we use a moving service?
Soon, it felt as if the uncertainties of the year before us overshadowed all else. As I began my research with little to no knowledge of the new place we were headed, I was quickly overwhelmed, oscillating between wanting to get things figured out and putting them off because I wasn't ready to leave behind the beautiful life we had built.
When my husband was in the midst of applying for fellowship, we had both approached the process with minds as open as we could - we had learned a few years prior that God moves (and moves us) in mysterious ways. So, we prayed that He would send us wherever He could best use us, but His decision was still hard for us to swallow.
The position my husband and I found ourselves in reminds me of the position the Israelites were in when God called them to leave Egypt under the leadership of Moses. According to The Bible Knowledge Commentary, approximately 430 years passed between the time Jacob moved to Egypt and the events from the Book of Exodus. Although the Israelites had been enslaved to the Egyptians and lived harsh, overworked existences, Egypt was the only home this generation had ever known. So when God sent Moses to inform the elders that He was moving them to a new place, I'm sure there were a mixture of emotions. The place God was taking them was promised to be good and bountiful - they would want for nothing. But leaving would also mean starting completely over.
As we know, the Israelites did leave, but they weren't always happy about it. There were even times when they wished they had died back in Egypt instead of being led through the wilderness (Exodus 16:3). But all God needed them to do was walk by faith in Him, not by what their mere human minds could perceive. When my husband and I moved to Virginia a few years ago, I realized God was asking the same of us. I didn't want to go. Virginia felt like a different world, and I had already decided it wasn't for me.
But God. The work He did in me during that time was foundational to who I am today. As hard as it was, I am so thankful for (finally) surrendering to His will rather than pouting that I wasn't getting my way. And because of what He had walked me through in the past, it made this new move to Arkansas that much easier.
So after getting nowhere with my Arkansas research, I took my overwhelm to God in prayer. I released my frustrations and recognized where He had helped me in the past. I asked for guidance in choosing the best school for my kids, a safe place for us to live, and the right people to rent and love our home in Virginia while we were gone. In the span of just two weeks, every single one of those prayers were answered. He led me to a Christian school where I immediately made connections with the staff; he led us to a great apartment that just so happened to have a 3 bedroom available, which apparently never happens; and He connected me with a woman whose husband was coming to Virginia for fellowship and needed a place for their family of four to live. The pieces fell into place so perfectly that I knew only God could have orchestrated them.
Like in the wilderness, it's easy for us to get bogged down by the stresses of our current circumstances. But God is still at work! There's a reason so many teach about the exile and God's presence there: Stephen, Paul, and even Jesus spoke about how God's presence never left His people, no matter how much they complained or wished for different circumstances. Everything about this move was hard. But more than once, God showed that He was still there and opening doors for me and my family.
Today, friend, I challenge you to take your circumstances to God in prayer. Acknowledge where you've seen Him at work in the past and ask Him to do it again. Let Him take what was meant to stress you out and turn it into a beautiful picture of His provision. Amen.
