There’s a song that has been ‘my song’ in this season and the chorus goes… ‘Take courage my heart, stay steadfast my soul, He’s in the waiting, He’s in the waiting. Hold on to your hope as your triumph unfolds, He’s never failing, He’s never failing.’ (Take Courage by Bethel Music). In essence 2017 so far has been a time of waiting on the Lord, and honestly, it has been very challenging! Our trip to England in April was sweet respite and a precious treasure amidst what has now been many months of uncertainty and turbulence. Back in January we were anticipating NEW things for 2017. We still are, but a large part of the battle in these months has been fighting to believe that it really is coming, that God is faithful and that He will speak and move.
Bill was given a long-overdue three month sabbatical from being administrative pastor at the church from February through April. We knew going into it that he wouldn’t be going back to the same role and that he needed the time to recoup from the intensity of the work of being project manager for the building of our new church facility. We were blessed with a month in England in April and it really was a most wonderful time. If you want to see photos and read more about our travels there, click here to read our blog from that time.
Little did we know returning from England that more than six months later we’d still be waiting on God for His direction and leading for what is next for Bill and indeed for us as a family. God has not been entirely silent, in fact He has been the one who has provided for us through these months of Bill not working and me not having sufficient funds come in to be paid on any regular basis, but the sense of being in a painful barren wilderness with the enemy and his army hot on our heels whilst waiting for the waters to part so we can cross over into the promised land, is very real!
Over a period of a few months (May, June, July), I found myself many times having the thought that we were going to be moving house. I was frustrated that I couldn’t get rid of the thoughts but didn’t think anything else of them – I even told Bill a few times, ‘I don’t know why I keep thinking about moving!’ We love the location we’re in at the moment – the house is great, the garden is a decent size, the community is quiet and relatively safe, and amazingly we are in walking distance of the church, the library, grocery stores and restaurants (which is rare for a residential community in Orlando!) – so we had no plan or thought to move! In early August however, I was at one of our weekly church prayer watches, and in the course of prayer I was asking how I could be more active in faith and I immediately heard the Lord say, ‘start packing’. It honestly took a week or two to really take hold of what God had said and to put it into action. It made sense of some things – the lack of answers and direction we’d had regarding Abigail going to pre-school and where we’re going to put the new baby (who is due to arrive next week!), plus the thoughts I’d not been able to get rid of about moving – but it also raised a multitude of questions…how, where and when being the most basic!!
And as yet we have no answers to any of those questions. We keep seeking, we keep waiting. We keep fighting to believe when doubt and uncertainty comes to tell us that nothing will change. It is going to have to be God who, like with the parting of the sea, makes the way and makes it clear, because we’re just obeying the one step of ‘start packing’ and have nothing else to go on! Where we are going, how we’re going there and when we are going remains to be seen. In the mean time, baby girl #4 is about to arrive. (And we’re thankful that God knows every thing and is gracious and merciful to give us warning in advance if we’re going to be moving with a newborn and three toddlers!!)
We serve and follow a faithful God. He’s not failed us yet. His timing is not usually the timing we’d like, and His ways are so far above our ways, but He said He would never leave us nor forsake us, and on that solid ground we stand.
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)
Pursuing Purpose 