|
“I
will walk by faith and not by sight . . .even when I cannot see . . .to see
Your will for me . . . I will walk by faith.”
These are some of the words of my new favorite song that I found
this summer. When I was asked to write an article last summer, I wrote
with excitement of what God would do in our lives, and of obedience to
follow God’s direction for our family. Many of you have followed our
summer of ups and downs, questioned us as to what we were doing, and
prayed for us. We have really appreciated your concern for us and thank
you for it. To be honest, we have been concerned, too, but God has been
right beside us each moment of each day.
I
was asked to write about some of our experiences after Mike resigned his
ministry at
Bible
Fellowship
Church.
I am at a loss where to begin.
Well,
the obvious frustration for me was of course, finances. We had family who
were very concerned about us, questioning me of my husband’s ability to
provide for his family. We felt the pressure to just get “any old job”
for some income. I felt the pressure to go back to work for
income. Every time, which was daily, I prayed about this, God told
me to wait. So I waited. When I did succumb to the pressure
and applied for something, the job never materialized.
So I went back to the waiting game. God reminded me of many
years ago when I lost my job unexpectedly. I was in a town away from
family and friends, seeking a new job, had two offers, both requiring me
to move out of that town. God told me to turn them down. Had I
accepted either one and moved away I would not have started dating Pastor
Mike and we would not have gotten married. I decided to listen to
God again, and wait with the job thing for awhile. When the timing
is right, it will happen. And God provided so greatly in the months
of June, July and August, that we never had to take any money out of our
savings to live on!
What a praise that was!
The
second frustration for me was God’s timing. We
were at peace with Mike’s resignation, and had confidence that God had a
church for us somewhere. As the resumes went out, phone calls were
made, and prayers were lifted, it became obvious that God was closing every
door we attempted to enter. I thought we would be candidating
and moved to an unknown location by August. Then August 1st
came and went. Talk around our kitchen table went from moving; to
registering the children back in school and buying school supplies.
August was hard. We started questioning if this was what God wanted
for us. The income provided was running out. Decisions had to
be made for jobs. Where, we
did not know, and when, we did not know. But God knew, and He
continued to provide through some substitute jobs. He will never leave us or forsake us.
The
third unknown, was education. We sought counsel from friends, and received such opposite advise, that we had to stopped asking
people and began to only seek the Lord's direction regarding Mike attending
seminary. When the seminary doors closed, we had our answer.
September
came. We received word that a little church in
Newell
,
South Dakota
was looking for a Pastor. We prayed. Mike called, visited, and
preached. The congregation asked him to come back. Again and
again, we went back. We couldn’t believe it! This was where
God wanted us to go? To this tiny, new church in a small town, with
nothing there but a post office? Lord, are you sure? Yes, He
is sure, and yes, we are sure. Confirmation came in many different
ways. First, they wanted us! This was the first
open door we received all summer. Second, the children really enjoy
it there. Third, we received
financing to buy a house, bought it (for about $25,000 less than expected)
and sold our current house all within 17 days. Fourth, my husband and I
were in unity over this decision. Fifth,
the church members have made a commitment to us, stretching their
financial resources like they have never been stretched before. Most
importantly, we have a peace and know this is where God wants us to go.
God is even placing us along the
Black Hills
, and close to our BFC family here. He has blessed us abundantly!
So, what have we
discovered in this step of faith?
*God’s
timing is always perfect.
*He
blessed us financially each month.
*We
witnessed to unsaved family members and saw them watching us.
*I
watched and was inspired by my husband when the fog was thick, as he
turned to the Lord each day, earnestly seeking His will.
*We
are drawing closer to the Lord through each
day, relying on Him.
*We
received blessings of peace in the midst of trials.
*
We can speak with confidence of a loving God who has known us from
before our existence, who created us and loves us, wanting only the best
for us.
*We
see now how perfectly this little church in Newell will compliment our
abilities and gifts. We see God going before us. We eagerly await our move
and look forward to God's working in that community. Any other place,
would not have been the right place for us.
Is
this a good move for us financially? No. One of us will have to find
another job. (that’s a prayer request) Is it a good move by the
world’s standards for advancement and prestige? Not by a long
shot, but our hope and trust is in Christ Jesus. Does
this mean that our struggles are over? No, we’ll always have
struggles until we leave this earth. But
we can relax in the knowledge that God is in control as we continue to
walk by faith and not by sight. As
Mrs. Wiebe says, “Blessings to you.”
Diane Petts
|
|