Wrestling Match... Post #4

After that Friday, we spent the next 5 days reeling over and over, and truly being scared out of our pants. "What is HE up to?" We spent time praying/begging God for wisdom and discernment. It was like we had been consumed with thoughts of this decision, what life would be like there, and if God was really asking us to say yes. Opportunities are a dime a dozen, but the way this one was unfolding appeared to be "unusual" and orchestrated by something much larger than ourselves, and certainly by the way it came about, we felt that it wasn't anything being "conjured up" by ourselves. We weren't asking for this... and I wrote about that in real time here. So, literally, I was spending more time in prayer, reading the word, and talking with spiritual mentors than I was cleaning house, homeschooling, and playing with my kids. It was a heavy, heavy time. We were spending every night outside talking and praying, as soon as the kids were in bed. And it never ceased to amaze us how God spoke so clearly through others and his word. Be it our study in James, random sermons by Tim Keller on the life of Abraham, devotionals I would open... My friends, that I thought would certainly discourage me were able to clearly recognize that it was God moving... regardless of the outcome... and that we would be foolish and disobedient to NOT inquire about the position. We prayed for clarity, and then felt convicted because God had truly been so clear. So... we inquired, and had a phone call with the VP of LifeSong that next week. We had a ton of questions, and were able to hear more about the project and share our hearts. We had prayed, "Lord, if you do not want us going down this road, make something on this call clearly stand out that this is not for us." The opposite happened... the more we heard, the more we felt we had been prepared for this. I actually read about Joshua, and taking of Jericho. He had prepared them to take the Promise land, only 2 of the spies believed it. It went on to discuss that there are 2 things that do not glorify God: 1. is when people do not want to spend the time preparing for their call and 2. when those who have been prepared do not take the land God wants to give them.

We do not want to run ahead, if not prepared. We do not want to back away from the things God has prepared us in advance to do (Eph 2:10). Lord, make it clear to us.