I’m in the middle of my miracle.
When Steve and I moved back from Whangarei 5 years ago, we knew we wanted to own our own home again. We had sold up to move North without realising that on our return, four years later, re-entering the Auckland housing market would be near on impossible.
We had two years of endless searching, hundreds of open homes, disheartening auctions and desperate praying as we tried to find our dream home. In July of 2018, we finally got the keys to our brand-new house. Our little slice of paradise, well sort of. Little is probably the keyword here—our little slice of 85 square metre, two bed, one bath paradise. Don’t get me wrong; I love our home. It’s beautiful; it’s new, it’s warm, it’s ours. I am very grateful for all God has provided for my family and I. But, if I was honest, I would have to admit that it isn’t the dream home I was praying for.
You know those wish lists people make? The list of all the things you want in your dream home? And you know those people who tell you their incredible stories of how they found a house miraculously ticking off everything on their Dream House Wish List. Yeah, that wasn’t our story. Ours was more a “making the best of a bad situation” story.
I can clearly remember the whisper in my heart as God responded to the questions I felt too embarrassed to ask, “I haven’t finished yet,” He said, “this is just the middle of your miracle.”
I have learned that on the way to our miracles, many things can take place that can distract, discourage, or deter us from the ultimate destination God wants to journey us to.
RECONFIGURED ROUTES
Recently we were in the UK on an extended holiday, and we did a lot of driving while we were there. I was the navigator, but I wasn’t very good at it. Much to my husband’s frustration, we kept missing the exits. Google Maps would then come up with a notification, “reconfiguring route.” It was looking for another way to our planned destination.
There are many seasons where we might find ourselves unexpectedly taking an alternative route. We think we are going one way (usually the easy, straight forward way), but often our journey gets reconfigured, and we end up travelling a different road.
I can remember while we were trying to buy our home, God spoke to both Steve and I and challenged us to be more generous than ever before. Every time we were about to give in an offering, we would feel led to double our giving. When we were out with friends, we would feel the nudge to pay for the meal. When friends were celebrating weddings, babies, or birthdays, we felt we needed to be extravagant with our gifts. Over about a year, our house savings slowly disappeared. I have to tell you; it’s really hard to put a deposit down when God is spending all your money!!! One day, God spoke to us clearly, saying, “This house is not going to happen your way; it’s going to happen my way.”
Have you ever stopped to think that if life happened our way, we would miss the faith and growth that takes place when we have to trust in God’s way?
We simply had to trust that even though we seemed to be going the long way around, that God would get us there in the end.
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART; DO NOT DEPEND ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. SEEK HIS WILL IN ALL YOU DO, AND HE WILL SHOW YOU WHICH PATH TO TAKE. PROVERBS 3:5-6 (NLT)
DELAY ALONG THE WAY
We have to drive along a country road to get to work and school each day. And there seems to be a never-ending supply of road works happening along that road! Every other week there is a new stop-go section of road stopping us in our tracks and forcing us to sit idle for what seems like hours.
There is something frustratingly beautiful about the perfection of God’s timing. The frustration of waiting followed by the beauty of his unfolding plan revealed to us in retrospect. The truth is, as frustrated as I have felt waiting at one of God’s annoying stop signs, I can count numerous occasions when I have been so relieved that God did not grant my wishes when I clicked my fingers.
You may have heard it said that delays are not denials. Perhaps we could begin to view delays as an opportunity for God to bring perfection to the outcome. An opportunity not to move ahead or lag behind but to walk seamlessly in sync with the steps God has ordained for us.
THE LORD DIRECTS THE STEPS OF THE GODLY. HE DELIGHTS IN EVERY DETAIL OF THEIR LIVES. PSALM 37:23 (NLT)
DESTINATION MISMATCH
This lesson is probably one of the hardest of all the lessons I have learned. Sometimes the destination you want and the destination you need are two very different things.
A few years ago, I went on a long health journey involving a lot of what I perceived as unanswered prayer. On one particularly hard day I was out running, praying, and listening to worship music. While listening a line in one of the songs stuck with me: “Help me want the Healer, more than the healing.” I realised at that moment that what I wanted was healing, but what I needed was Him. And while I may not have got my healing then, I still got the Healer.
You might not have the provision you want yet, but you have got the provider.
You may not have the miracle you want right now, but you have the miracle worker, and maybe, just maybe, He isn’t finished yet. It could be that you are simply in the middle of your miracle. Can I encourage you? Don’t give up before you get there.
FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU,” SAYS THE LORD. “THEY ARE PLANS FOR GOOD AND NOT FOR DISASTER, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE. JEREMIAH 29:11 (NLT)
Now, go out there and live like you believe it.