Well, it's May already... and wouldn't you know, I didn't keep to my hopes of writing more blogs this year.
At least I didn't make any promises to that regard. However, promises have been kept in surreal ways in my life recently.
For those who haven't heard, the Lord has led me to part ways with Cups of Cold Water to pursue what He has asked of me with Talita Cum. I learned a great deal about mission work and ministry through Cups of Cold Water, for which I am grateful; however, I knew that with the vision God has given me for Talita Cum, I would need to invest more time and energy into this calling alone.
Upon my return in the beginning of the year, God told me to "wait" before starting up classes again with the girls. We jumped right into mission teams and I knew it would be difficult to have any sort of consistency with constant interruptions. However, once all the teams left, God still told me to wait.
At this time, I did not have peace in my spirit. I remained in this unrest until God finally revealed to me on the rooftop one March evening to be prepared to follow His cloud by day and His fire by night... because He was about to move.
About a week later, God's words came to life before me with a command...
And just as Jesus answered many of His followers' questions with a question, God answered...
Well, He told me I had stayed long enough at Zion Village's mountainside, to turn and take my journey, and go the hill country... in the lowland... by the seacoast... as far as the great river... because He has set a land before me that I was to go in and take possession of... a land He swore to me.
He then repeated Himself in Deuteronomy 2:3-5...
He made it clear that I was not to contend with anyone, for that mountainside was not the land He had given me... no, not even one pebble for my foot to walk upon. The Lord had given this land to other missionaries and the physical and spiritual needs of the communities were being met.
I wanted to obey God in this and I confess this was hard to swallow at first. My heart was troubled over having to tell the girls that I would be leaving, but I had peace that God would bring someone to take my place if He was calling me out.
For myself, I was once more reminded of Job. Everything was taken from him, but in the end, "the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before... the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning." (Job 42:10, 12). I know that if God has called me to step out, stripping me of all I "had," He, too, would bless my latter days more than my beginning.
How do I know? Because He promised, and He is faithful to the end.
It is amazing when God speaks, but I tell you... with every new command He gives, my faith has to increase. I'm supposed to leave everything behind with the mission organization I knew and just step out on my own? With no place to live? With a dog that barks at everything that has breath?
Ok, God... Your move!
This is where it gets good...
Now, before God even gave me the command to leave, I was encouraged by a friend, in my state of unrest, to write a list of qualities I would like in my next house and give it to the Lord. So, I made the list and gave it to Him.
God had fulfilled this promise before when I moved out of the Suchers' house into my own back in 2012 (Promised Land and New Home), so I knew that if God had again promised to deliver me into a house filled with good things, the home He had for me now would already be furnished. But you know what actually stood out the most to me when I read these passages?
Grass! In MY fields! I claimed this verse for my four-legged roommate as I no longer wanted him to be chained up every minute of the day like a prisoner. Dogs need to run free and I asked of this from God.
So, I set out in search for this promised home. With each passing "no" in my spirit, I could not stop thinking about the house my friend told me about that met all my requests. It always came to my heart when I prayed about what God had promised for Lucas and me...and I hadn't even seen the place yet!
When we finally were able to check it out, it was nearly too good to be true. I was reserved in surveying the property because I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I sensed that this was the Promised house and land the Lord had been ministering to me about. A short 30 minutes later and a deal was made for me to be able to move in the first weekend in May!
My first two weeks here have been spent getting settled in and being reminded how difficult it is being a single woman here, without a vehicle, living about a mile in from the main road! I have successfully procured my very own "Dominican tattoo" as I've taken up motoconchos as my main mode of transportation, yet still the Lord has been gracious in sending friends to help me in little ways (refilling my stove's propane tank, getting groceries, refilling jugs of water, etc) until I have a vehicle of my own.
When God first told me to move and as I read through Deuteronomy, I made a vow to the Lord that I would lay up His words in my heart and my soul, and even writing His greatest commandment on the doorposts of my house (Deuteronomy 11:18-25). Now, I don't have a mezuzah, but I do have paper, pencil, and God's word, so for the time being, I have written His commandment on my doorpost to fulfill my promise to Him...
At least I didn't make any promises to that regard. However, promises have been kept in surreal ways in my life recently.
For those who haven't heard, the Lord has led me to part ways with Cups of Cold Water to pursue what He has asked of me with Talita Cum. I learned a great deal about mission work and ministry through Cups of Cold Water, for which I am grateful; however, I knew that with the vision God has given me for Talita Cum, I would need to invest more time and energy into this calling alone.
Upon my return in the beginning of the year, God told me to "wait" before starting up classes again with the girls. We jumped right into mission teams and I knew it would be difficult to have any sort of consistency with constant interruptions. However, once all the teams left, God still told me to wait.
At this time, I did not have peace in my spirit. I remained in this unrest until God finally revealed to me on the rooftop one March evening to be prepared to follow His cloud by day and His fire by night... because He was about to move.
About a week later, God's words came to life before me with a command...
"The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.'"
Deuteronomy 1:6-8
Do you know how frightening, yet exciting, it was to hear those words from God? Then I asked Him,
"What about the girls in Zion? Do I continue Talita Cum there when You move me?"
And just as Jesus answered many of His followers' questions with a question, God answered...
"What did I tell you to do?"
Well, He told me I had stayed long enough at Zion Village's mountainside, to turn and take my journey, and go the hill country... in the lowland... by the seacoast... as far as the great river... because He has set a land before me that I was to go in and take possession of... a land He swore to me.
My feeble mind protested...
"Are you sure, God? But what about the girls?"
He then repeated Himself in Deuteronomy 2:3-5...
Then the Lord said to me, "You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, 'You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession... For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.'"
He made it clear that I was not to contend with anyone, for that mountainside was not the land He had given me... no, not even one pebble for my foot to walk upon. The Lord had given this land to other missionaries and the physical and spiritual needs of the communities were being met.
I wanted to obey God in this and I confess this was hard to swallow at first. My heart was troubled over having to tell the girls that I would be leaving, but I had peace that God would bring someone to take my place if He was calling me out.
For myself, I was once more reminded of Job. Everything was taken from him, but in the end, "the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before... the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning." (Job 42:10, 12). I know that if God has called me to step out, stripping me of all I "had," He, too, would bless my latter days more than my beginning.
How do I know? Because He promised, and He is faithful to the end.
It is amazing when God speaks, but I tell you... with every new command He gives, my faith has to increase. I'm supposed to leave everything behind with the mission organization I knew and just step out on my own? With no place to live? With a dog that barks at everything that has breath?
Ok, God... Your move!
This is where it gets good...
Now, before God even gave me the command to leave, I was encouraged by a friend, in my state of unrest, to write a list of qualities I would like in my next house and give it to the Lord. So, I made the list and gave it to Him.
So, when the command came, I started praying, "Where? Show me, Lord." That same friend mentioned a few places that she and her husband looked at before they found their own home. One description she gave of a place stood out in particular, as everything she told me about it was on my list. Then she told me the house is on a hill and close to the river... I immediately thought of what God revealed to me in Deuteronomy...
"...go to the hill country... and in the lowland ... and by the seacoast... as far as the great river..."
At the same time, He had also been speaking to me about His Promised Land for me...
"And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and tho Jacob, to give you- with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant..."
Deuteronomy 6:10-11
"...the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And He will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full..."
Deuteronomy 11: 11-15
God had fulfilled this promise before when I moved out of the Suchers' house into my own back in 2012 (Promised Land and New Home), so I knew that if God had again promised to deliver me into a house filled with good things, the home He had for me now would already be furnished. But you know what actually stood out the most to me when I read these passages?
"And He will give grass in your fields..."
Grass! In MY fields! I claimed this verse for my four-legged roommate as I no longer wanted him to be chained up every minute of the day like a prisoner. Dogs need to run free and I asked of this from God.
So, I set out in search for this promised home. With each passing "no" in my spirit, I could not stop thinking about the house my friend told me about that met all my requests. It always came to my heart when I prayed about what God had promised for Lucas and me...and I hadn't even seen the place yet!
When we finally were able to check it out, it was nearly too good to be true. I was reserved in surveying the property because I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I sensed that this was the Promised house and land the Lord had been ministering to me about. A short 30 minutes later and a deal was made for me to be able to move in the first weekend in May!
My first two weeks here have been spent getting settled in and being reminded how difficult it is being a single woman here, without a vehicle, living about a mile in from the main road! I have successfully procured my very own "Dominican tattoo" as I've taken up motoconchos as my main mode of transportation, yet still the Lord has been gracious in sending friends to help me in little ways (refilling my stove's propane tank, getting groceries, refilling jugs of water, etc) until I have a vehicle of my own.
When God first told me to move and as I read through Deuteronomy, I made a vow to the Lord that I would lay up His words in my heart and my soul, and even writing His greatest commandment on the doorposts of my house (Deuteronomy 11:18-25). Now, I don't have a mezuzah, but I do have paper, pencil, and God's word, so for the time being, I have written His commandment on my doorpost to fulfill my promise to Him...
It may be silly, but I want to be found faithful to my words
If God has moved me out, has given me a home, and has promised me a land to dwell in and call my own, I know the future holds many more fulfilled promises and answered prayers. He will place me in His desired land to carry out the vision He has given me.
Faith is strengthening, doors are opening, and hope abounds.
Lucas is one happy dog!
(I should mention, just after this was taken, Lucas jumped the fence... pray for his obedience... and my sanity!)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete