Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Just Wait.

Psalm 27:14 

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord

I have a hard time writing this post.  No matter how the words go in my head, even to me they seem cheesy and irrelevant.  I hear myself saying all the typical comebacks: it's coincidence, it's chance or no silly, you did that yourself.

But I assure you (and myself) that there is no real coincidence in life.  And I truly could not have done this on my own.  Because ultimately all our steps are ordained by God.  He is watching out for us and over us.  And so when something seems to be a pretty awesome coincidence, it is really just Him ordering our blessings.

Alex and I have been in constant prayer over a new car.  And even as I type this I have to push aside that part of me that says, silly you, God doesn't care about your new car.  Because we know that he does.  We know that God cares about each and every minute detail of our lives.  And yes, he cares about my new car.  Ultimately, he cares whether I am following him and waiting on him.   

I have been reading through the bible this year, starting in the Old Testament.  Let me tell you, those first few books can get mighty boring.  So much detail.  So much repetition.  The geneaology lines and the laws, over and over again.  When you think that God doesn't care about the details, take a glimpse through Numbers.  He cares.

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

So as I was saying, Alex and I have been diligently praying for God's will in our lives, specifically in concern with a new car.  My patience was wearing thin as a one-car family and I have been anxious for months about replacing the car I totaled in February of last year.  Through experience, I knew that God didn't want us to make a rash decision.  He had asked me specifically to wait.  He would provide.  
Slowly, one-by-one, pieces began to fall into place.  I had asked my small group to pray with us, and the women's bible study group that I meet with every other week.  I wasn't asking for prayers for a brand new free car.  But prayers for patience as we discerned God's will.  As we waited, we realized we really didn't want car payments.  We needed to pay cash, and somehow it would all work out.  So we also prayed for provision.

Psalm 27:14 

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord

As we waited, opportunities began to arise that reassured me that God's will was not for us to be bound by car payments.  A friend offered us an opportunity to purchase her used car for a reasonable amount.  We continued to wait.  We didn't have the money then and we wanted to make sure it was the right situation.  

On my birthday Alex and I took our taxes in and came out happy and surprised.  There was enough coming back to us that would afford us a car.  We played with the idea of getting a new car and putting a hefty down payment on it, reducing a monthly payment down to just a few hundred dollars.  I liked that idea in theory.  A new car.  Sweet!  But car payments.  Eck!  We went back to the idea of purchasing the car from our friend.  We were nervous and continued to pray.  We had to wait for the tax money to come in anyhow, so waiting was all we could do.  Waiting and praying.

Our friend's timeline was pushed up as they found a great deal on their new car.  Now it was decision time.  We looked at other used cars.  Was this the right one?  This was the friend who leads our women's bible study, who I had first asked to pray with me for patience over our one-car situation.  This was the friend who prays with me over the phone when things get hard, and encourages me and holds me accountable.  I could trust this friend.  And I could trust that God was also using her to solve a situation in my life. 

With their timeline pushed foward we decided to test drive the car and ultimately decided to purchase it.  We were just waiting on our tax money.  Could be weeks.  So we waited.  But when I went to check our bank account yesterday I was surprised to learn the tax money had been deposited.  It was already available and we were able to purchase the car immediately.     


Lamentations 3:25 

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

One could argue that God didn't "provide" because we had that tax money coming back to us anyway.  One could argue that the timing was not significant, we should have known it would only take a week or two to receive our money.  But I would argue that it was God ordering our steps and leading us to this very wise decision.  We waited on God.  And we now have a second car.  

Psalm 33:20-22 

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 






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