Thursday, November 4, 2010

Closure on Moving

So, here we are, November 4th, and so much has happened since I last blogged about moving. I look back on my post from August 16th (Beggars-Choosers) and am amazed at what's transpired since then. Almost 2 months ago I was agonizing over the peace I didn't have about signing another 12-month lease to our Keller home. What's funny is that I look back now and think, "I was so unsettled when I wrote that. Why was I questioning whether or not another lease was a good idea? Clearly, agonizing is not peace."

Then the confirmation I was begging for came back in a loud and clear voice. Actually, it was more like a hot and sweaty one. When the AC blew the very next day, I took it as a my last sign that it was time to go. And I wrote about it the very next day. (Settled!)

By September 3rd, I made myself sit down and write what was on my heart about our move. I really believed that God was preparing us for a move to the very apartments we now live in, yet I hadn't approached Anthony with my idea. I needed that Journal Stone (Ready) to look back on ... just in case I was hearing God correctly. And the very next day we (Anthony and I) took our first trip to see these apartments and I, again, wrote out another Journal Stone (Shock and Awe) to remember our first reactions.

What I haven't included in this moving saga is the confirmation from God's Word that settled everything and was the catalyst to submitting an application for the apartment we now call home. On September 7th I awoke very early in the morning with a need to sit with God, determined that I was going get His confirmation for NRH, whether it was yes or no. Through prayer and reading, God lead me to a passage in 1 Kings that became confirmation.

1 Kings 17 documents the obedience of Elijah to do exactly as the Lord had commanded; where he went, where he stayed, how he was fed, it was all instructed by God and Elijah was taken care of by God. As I was reading, verses 3 & 4 just lit up; one of the moments when you know it's God's specific communication with you. Unfortunately, the verses didn't make immediate sense to me:

"Go from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. You shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

Over the next hour I did extensive study on the brook Cherith and the surrounding text in 1 Kings 17, and the few points I'm documenting here both amazed me and brought great peace and confirmation.
  • God instructed Elijah to leave "here" because the drought Elijah spoke of would have affected him greatly. God moved Elijah to protect him. God was moving us from Keller to protect us. From what, exactly, I may never know. But that's not the point. God's promise of protection is all that I needed to rest in.
  • God asked Elijah to hide himself and be alone with Him. This spoke to me that God wanted a new season with us, personally, and moving our location was part of that plan.
  • The word Cherith comes from the ancient Hebrew root meaning, to cut away, to cut up or off. This shows that God had some cutting to do in the life of Elijah during this period. When I read this, I immediately knew that I didn't need anything more in the way of confirmation than this. This season that God was moving us into was all about "Simplifying". This was God's very specific word to me when I initially began praying about moving. I knew that God wanted to teach us how to live differently; and that reducing our space and the volume of things that we had accumulated was part of that purpose. 
  • It was in Cherith that God promised Elijah He would feed him there. It's not that God couldn't have had the ravens feed him anywhere else, but God wanted Elijah there, hiding by the brook Cherith. It was there that He would provide. Whatever the reasons, and for whatever purposes, God was calling us to "here" (NRH), which is our "there" (the brook Cherith). This is where He intended to provide for us. 
  • Lastly, a simple confirmation that made me smile, the thought came to me to Google map the drive from our home in Keller to the apartments in NRH. Although some may say I stretched for this one, I say it's God showing His Word true. "Go from here and turn east..." are the first words of verse 3. The first words used in the directions from Keller to NRH were, "Head out and turn east". It was no coincidence to me why verse 3 was lit up when I read it and why the "random" thought to Google map the directions suddenly popped into my head. God uses both the deep and the simple to reveal His will for our lives. 
The overarching theme that stood out in this chapter is the step-by-step plan that God laid out for Elijah. He told him where to go with giving him the next step, and God also didn't tell Elijah why He was to "go here or there". He spoke and Elijah obeyed, regardless of the information or lack thereof that surrounded God's words. This was huge for me. I didn't need to know all the reasons behind the move or all the plans that laid ahead of us. I didn't need to be concerned with the details of why or what. God was confirming. He was speaking. My job, and that of my family, was simply to obey.

2 comments:

  1. So now you are there. Have made it a home. And even decorated for Christmas. Excited to see all the reasons why as 2010 closes and 2011 unfolds!

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  2. Comment for you Conquering Joy post on DIB:

    My lesson at school on Wednesday was all about choosing joy. When I was prophesied over I was told that my joy would return. And now your blog. JOY. I hear you God!

    Wonder what you will share next. ;)

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