On July 21, 2008, our life changed forever.  In hindsight, I think it was the day that God told us to consecrate ourselves to Him because he was about to do wonders on our behalf (Joshua 3:5).  Six weeks later, on September 9^th, we left the desert of our life and crossed our own Jordan into a new life – a life of promise.

Five months later, to the day, God is continuing to work mightily, clearing the land on our behalf, and leading us slowly toward the “Jerusalem” of our Promised Land.  We’ve faced uphill battles and seen God crumble walls.  But the message has remained constant…seek Him first, heed His voice, and He will bring the victory.

I’ve written a little in this blog about the challenges we faced and the changes we were facing, but today, nearly a half-year later, I thought our experience might bless and encourage someone who feels like they’ve been wandering the desert for far too long.

Earlier blog entries detail the events that led our move.  Urgent Prayer Requests Needed, dated July 25, 2008 tells of the crisis that triggered it all.  The following day, I added Moving Crisis Update, which first mentions the possibility of Sarasota, FL.  By August 6^th, the course was pretty well set (see Sarasota), and on 8/11/08, I wrote a quick update about the house.   There’s a neat pictureof our local beach, here in Sarasota, in the 11/09/08 entry.

The move was exciting, exhilarating and life-changing, and I believe some of our experiences could be helpful to others who may be seeking God, and wondering if they’re destined for a life of promise or a life of struggle. 

As is the case with most homeschool moms, I don’t have much time to write.  We have five little ones, and I publish the monthly newsletter for our local support group, plus I’m helping my husband build a business.  I’ve set aside about an hour of writing time in the morning, so it may take a few installments to tell our story, but I do have one golden nugget to share for today…

Perhaps the greatest lesson we’ve learned so far is something we’ve found ourselves applying again and again since 7/21/08.  On that day, when the great blow was delivered and crisis was upon us, God led us to do a few practical things that made all the difference.

First and foremost, we took that paper from the Sheriff’s Department and spread it before God.  If you get a chance today, read Isaiah 37:14-38.  It’s a great picture of how to handle bad news.  King Hezekiah receives a disturbing letter from his enemy, and he takes it into the house of God and spreads it before the Lord, asking God to save him.  God responds mightily on Hezekiah’s behalf, slaying 185,000 in one night. I encourage you to read the account for yourself – it’s a powerful example of God’s willingness to work on behalf of those who seek Him.

After praying and trusting with all our hearts that God was in control and that He would lead us and provide for us, we sought out scriptures to stand on through the journey.  We knew we needed a few key things from God: wisdom, guidance and provision.  So I went to google and typed, “scriptures about wisdom,” “scriptures about God’s guidance,” and “scriptures about God’s provision.”  We printed them, and poured over the lists, highlighting those that quickened our spirits.  I wrote some of them on index cards and carried them with me in a small, vinyl photo album, reading them, praying them over and over, and in doing so, I was most definitely hammering in my faith.

Within those first couple of days we also raised a prayer army.  I wrote out exactly what had happened and what we were facing, and emailed it to every Bible-believing Christian I knew.  Then I went to every Christian-based website that I could think of and submitted a prayer request.

An interesting thing happened.  I began receiving all sorts of prayer requests in return.  So I got a notebook and wrote them all down, interceding daily for the needs of others, as I continued to meditate on the scriptures and listen for God’s voice.

There were a few possibilities that presented early on.  We followed up with each one, praying over them, and asking God’s direction.  Then we took small steps toward each possibility and waited to see what God would do. 

And that’s where I’ll end today.

To be continued…

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