Then Roger said he wanted me to go with him for a second trip to Missouri so I could see the plant, meet the people, and look around the area for possible places to rent. We drove—a twelve-hour drive from Denver. Previous to this “jaunt,” we continued to pray for a clear, distinct answer from the Lord. In my quiet times I felt the Lord encouraging us to say yes. But during the day, all sorts of objections rose up to put that certainty into doubt. It was tiring! I knew we needed something definitive.
So we asked for prayer from all our praying friends at church, in my writer’s groups, and on Facebook.
We were still unsure of the decision. A major move hadn’t been in our plans for the future. Knowing that God’s way is best, we didn’t want some of the objections we had be a deterrent from following Him if He truly was leading us to Missouri.
Here are more journal entries leading up to our trip and through the days (November 9–11) we were in the Springfield/Marshfield area.
November 5, 2011
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33–34
“Let go your earthly cares.
“I do not forbid you to work, only to worry. The best way to break the power of worry is to refuse to take thought for tomorrow. Today is rarely a problem. Most anxious thoughts are related to the future. Put all of tomorrow into my keeping.
“For today you need wisdom. For tomorrow You need faith.” (Frances J. Roberts, Progress of Another Pilgrim)
Father, You are in control of all my tomorrows. I don’t need to worry. My part is to rest in You. Your peace and love, Your strength and goodness, You faithfulness, grace, and mercy are all I desire. Continue to guide our steps to the work You would have us do. Show Your peace and love. Thank You for Your love. I praise You. I love You.
November 6, 2011
Lead me in Your truth and teach me. Psalm 25:5
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8
“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God.” John 7:17
The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him. So it is good to wait quietly for the salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:25–26 nlt
“There are always a few decisions that need to be made that are life-changing . . .
“How do you determine your course of action? ‘Patient endourance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.’ (Hebrews 10:36 nlt)
“Waiting on God’s promise with patient endurance often feel more like endurance than simple waiting. Your next important decision may be worth some patient endurance to see what the Lord has in mind. He will truly direct your steps if you give Him a chance.” (Karen Moore, A Taste of the Spirit)
“Oh, My child, let me speak to you, and let my Spirit direct your life. I may lead you in unexpected ways, and ask things of you that are startling, but I will never guide you amiss. You shall go as Philip went—at the direction of the Spirit—into the places that are out of the way, and bring light on my Word to those who are in need.” (Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved)
Father, thank You for these reminders that You are guiding our way. We are facing some major life-changing decisions. Keep our eyes on You. We want Your will. Show us Your way. And keep us in the best path for our lives. We are waiting on Your clear direction. Love, thank You for Your promises that echo our prayers. I love You. I praise You.
November 7, 2011
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men. Psalm 107:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8
How great is his goodness. Zechariah 9:17
The Lord is good to all. Psalm 145:9
We consider those blessed who remained steadfast. James 5:11
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. . . . Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he shall receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:2–4, 12
“The one thing that doesn’t have to change is your outlook on these events. You can know exactly how you’re going to approach them, and what you’re going to do because your attitude is based on the constant faith you have in Christ Jesus. Build your day on the Rock, and you won’t have to worry when the sands of change start shifting under your feet.” (Karen Moore, A Taste of the Spirit)
“There is a great spirit of bewilderment showed in the land today that causes people to go about as though they were moving through a dense fog. Vision is obscured. Never have I needed watchmen, heralds, prophets, and seers as I need them in this hour.
“Stay close to Me no matter what attractions exert themselves to draw you away. Give fuller attention to the things of the Spirit.
“You never fail to hear my voice if your ears have been unstopped by obedience and the desire to please and serve Me.” (Frances J. Roberts, On the Highroad of Surrender)
Father, Thank You for these verses and readings. I truly praise You that You desire Your best for those who seek You and Your way. Give us wisdom as we seek to discern Your way for us. Lord, give us peace. May I base this day on You and what You would have me to. I praise You. I love You.
November 8, 2011
I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6
Little children you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” Jeremiah 1:19
“It is this waiting upon God until God speaks that we . . . Christians know so little about.
“If the workers of today gathered together in this way to seek the mind of the Spirit of God, how different would the work be; and how quiet and restful would preparation for any meeting be, sure of it being in God’s hands. . . . Oh, that God’s people might know the ministry to the Lord that will bring the personal direction of the Holy Spirit to those who seek and wait for it.” (Jesse Penn-Lewis, Fruitful Living)
“Surrender is the key to joy. By release the soul is freed. Bondage is the twin of selfishness. To hold is to lose and to free is to gain.
“Meditation opens the door to revelation, and revelation brings liberation. Test it in any given situation. You will find that you hold in your own hand the instrument of life. It will work a magic eye to open the heaviest door.” (Frances J. Roberts, On the Highroad of Surrender)
Father, thank You again for evidence that You are leading. You assure me over and over that you are working on our behalf. There is nothing to fear. Right now the battle is fierce. I am weary and worn. Strengthen me. Help me identify the source, whether the enemy or my own flesh, and rebuke it. In Jesus’ name. Keep my eyes firmly focused on Jesus. Give peace in place of fear. I love You.
November 9, 2011
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143:8
“Be sure of your call. Our Lord deals variously with souls, but the soul must be sure that He and He alone is the chooser of its path.
“Do not feel as if the call of God is always, as it were, audible. It is more the quiet sense of peace that comes as one is on one’s knees before Him and as one goes about one’s daily work; peace, but also outward attack. . . . All who are to bear the burden of leadership know it.
“ ‘I am not hear because of choice’—to be able to say that, unshaken by all that will happen after the field is reached, and the pressure of life comes on, is rest of heart. Anything less is torture. A call is a quiet, steady pressure upon the spirit from which there is no escape. It is an assurance, a conviction.
“Then there is the leading of God from the other end. If both coincide and the way is opened, let the soul go on in peace. If it be otherwise, then the meek will He gide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his way” (Psalm 25:9). There is something else in His mind for that life, something better. He will not waste its offer of love if only it is willing that He should choose how it is to be outpoured.” (Amy Carmichael, Fragments that Remain)
Father, this verse and reading is the prayer of my heart. And Roger’s, too. Give us Your answer, Your choice for us as we go to Missouri to check out this job offer. Give us Your peace, knowing that Your way is best. Keep our eyes on Jesus as the battle increases in intensity. I praise You. I love You.
November 10, 2011
“I chose you and applauded you that you should go and bear fruit and that your bruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16
Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
“I have fashioned you for better things. Do not fail Me. Place your life under My divine control and learn to live in the full blessing of My highest will.
“I will strengthen you and comfort you. I will lead you by the hand.” (Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved)
“He still speaks in the silence of the waiting spirit, impressing His will, and saying, “Get thee out.” Listen for that voice in the inner shrine of thy heart.
“. . . Let nothing hinder your obedience; strike your roots, and follow where the Lord of glory beckons; if you would have His companionship you must follow. . . .”
Father, wow! How much clearer can You get? Keep us listening for Your voice. Continue to lead us on the best pathway for our lives. Give us Your peace. I love You.
The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham and said, “Get out of your country and come to a land that I shall show you.” Acts 7:2–3
“Not thus does God now appear to us; and yet it is certain that He still speaks in the silence of the waiting spirit, impressing His will, and saying, “Get thee out.” Listen for that voice in the inner shrine of thine heart.
“This same voice has often spoken since. . . . Has it not come to you? If it has, let nothing hinder your obedience; strike your tents, and follow where the God of glory beckons; if you would have His companionship, you must follow.
“This call involved hardship. And so must it always be. The summons of God will ever involve a wrench from much that nature holds hear. We must be prepared to take up our cross daily if we would follow where He points the way. Each step of real advance in the divine life will involve an altar on which some dear fragment of the self-life has been offered; or a cairn beneath which some cherished idol has been buried.
“It is true that the blessedness which awaits us will more than compensate fus for the sacrifices which we may have to make; but still, when it comes to the point, there is certain anguish as the last link is broken, the last farewell said, and the last look taken of the receding home of past happy years. Count the cost clearly indeed; but, having done so, go forward in the name and by the strength of Him in whom all things are possible and easy and safe. And in doing so you will approve yourself worthy to stand with Christ in the regeneration.” (F. B. Meyer, Abraham)
November 11, 2011
I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; indeed my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand. I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol. . . . You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:7–11
Let nothing disturb you,
nothing frighten you,
all things pass, and God never changes.
When you endure things with patience,
you attain all things that God can give you.
When you have God,
you lack for nothing.
~Teresa of Avila
That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will. Colossians 1:9
Father, we continue to wait on You. I believe this trip is of You. I can see us here, but what is going on with my anxiety level this morning? Fear not, for You are with me; be not dismayed for You are my God. You uphold me. If this is a check of Your Holy Spirit, then use this to direct us. But if it is from my own flesh or from the enemy, then I rebuke it and ask You to cast it away from me in Jesus’ name and in the power of Jesus’ blood. Continue to give me the discernment I need. I love You. I praise You.
November 10 was the key day for both of us as I shared the verses and readings from that day with Roger. As we drove home, we were convinced that if God resolved the upside down factor with our house, we were to go.
Kathy and Ben told us not to allow the house to stand in the way of a decision as they had some options for us to consider. We were also consulting with a trusted real estate agent who deals with lots of short sales and “special circumstances.” When Kathy and Ben’s ideas didn’t pan out, we took agent Dan’s advice and decided to put the house up for sale.
[To be continued . . . at a later date, since I didn’t accomplish the “next day” statement in the previous installment to this “saga.”]
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