Music is a big part of the way that God speaks to me lately. I hear a song and before I know it I am listening intently to the words. That recently happened when I heard THESE words on KLove:
This year’s felt like four seasons of winter
And you’d give anything to feel the sun
Always reaching, always climbing
Always second guessing the timing
But God has a plan, a purpose in this
You are His child and don’t you forget
He put that hunger in your heart
He put that fire in your soul
His love is the reason
To keep on believing
And when you feel like giving up
When you feel like giving in
His love is the reason
To keep on believing It’s the reason,
It’s the reason,
His love is the reason
If we could pull back the curtain of Heaven
We would see His hand on everything
Every hour, every minute
Every second, He’s always been in it
Don’t let a shadow of a doubt take hold (Take hold)
Hold on to what you already know
He put that hunger in your heart
He put that fire in your soul
His love is the reason
To keep on believing
And when you feel like giving up
When you feel like giving in
His love is the reason
To keep on believing It’s the reason,
It’s the reason,
His love is the reason
He’s the peace in the madness
That you can’t explain
He’s the hope in the heartbreak
The rest in the suffering
He’s closer than the air you breathe
From the start to the end to the in between
Don’t you dare doubt even for a minute
What He started in you, yeah He’s gonna finish
He put that hunger in your heart
He put that fire in your soul
His love is the reason
To keep on believing
And when you feel like giving up
When you feel like giving in
His love is the reason
To keep on believing It’s the reason,
It’s the reason,
His love is the reason
I will have to admit that over the past twenty months, my faith has suffered some blows. There were times when I really thought that God was working to get our house sold and Glenn and I back together under one roof, but every time I would get my hopes up they would be dashed again. For some reason I just could not get my heart in line with God’s timing.
Then, out of the blue, a knock came at my door and God sent a sign that his time had finally reconciled itself. Someone had received approved financing and wanted to purchase our house! I literally cried with joy!
God showed up yet again as Glenn and I began the search for our new home. We had been online perusing Zillow and had tagged several homes that we really liked. He had his favorite and I had mine, but when we actually got inside them they just did not seem right. It was kind of like a Goldilocks thing: one was TOO BIG, one was TOO SMALL.
At the last minute, Glenn had asked the realtor to add a particular house to our showing list. Online neither of us had been thrilled with the colors, but we soon learned that computer screens do not always show things as they really are.
From the minute he and I stepped inside, it was home! The colors were perfect, I could easily determine which room would serve which purpose, and I could picture us living out our years of retirement together with family and friends visiting. We left word with the realtor that we still wanted to see a couple of homes however, because we were not quite sure about the location.
Glenn returned to his apartment and I returned to our old house. We began talking back and forth over the phone and, over the next 24 hours it became apparent that Glenn and I had both made up our minds. THIS HOUSE would be ours! I told Glenn that we could put in an offer, but not to worry because I was claiming it for us in God’s name.
Last night we made our offer and today we received their acceptance! We have a house! Now we only have to complete the paperwork on both deals- the sale of old and purchase of the new.
Looking back on these twenty months I have to admit that- just like that song says…. God was there every minute. As a matter of fact, when I talk about it with others I tell them that the BEST thing about this time I spent alone is that I used it to grow closer to God and understand myself better. I have come to cherish my private time each morning with God and I find myself leaning on him more now than ever.
There will surely be other mountains in our future and there will surely be times when I wonder when God is going to show up with a plan- but I truly do not think I will ever doubt IF God will show up. He has a plan always and he has his own timeline. It is merely our job to pray, wait, and believe.
FOOTNOTE: If you have not heard the song “Reason” by Unspoken you REALLY need to give it a listen. It is sure to touch you too!
Renewal and Refuge 