How God gave us a house

I believe God directs my steps. In fact I ask him to direct me daily. Let me hear you, I whisper silently. Show me which way to go and give me the confidence and courage to actually turn or stop or pause or back up. Whatever way God says is the way I want to go. And No, it isn't like this audible voice that points me in the right direction. It's peace in my mind and heart and the faith to believe that God can alter my path even if I'm on the wrong one.  It's the peace itself that speaks to me. That's God. 

So when major life decisions come up and I'm torn about what to do or which direction to go, I have peace in my mind that I've asked God to direct me and God in His supreme power can and will alter my steps or alter other people's steps. I don't have to worry which way because if I've asked God to intervene for His desire for my life, and He will indeed INTERVENE.

Time and time again that has rung true because over and over again God has showed up in ways that I couldn't possibly imagine or orchestrate, even if I tried.  My most recent God intervention occurred as we were going through the process of buying a home. Oh geez, this house buying saga is one for the books. Not only was it a long process but it was completely exhausting in an over the top seller's market. I have NEVER seen a housing market like this one in all my adult years. It was bananas. It still is. Early on in the process I was like a child dragging my feet on the way to do homework, I just did not want to buy. In fact, I was quite comfortable renting. My husband literally forced me to look at houses to purchase.

 What exactly made the process so exhausting and obvious that God directed our steps about buying a house? Well, here are some fun facts.

1. In the course of a year, we put in 7 house offers. SEVEN! We were pre-qualified, and had done all our homework and yet were REJECTED every time. The last house we lost, we had put in an offer for 15K over the asking price with a 30 day close, and still lost it to a higher/better offer. That just goes to show you the market we were dealing with. Houses would sell within hours of going on the market with multiple offers. I think this particular house had 8 offers on it. 

2. Another house we tried to purchase, we knew the next door neighbors who happen to attend the kid's school. The sellers were close to the neighbors, who obviously put in a good word for us. We thought it was in the bag. Done deal! Come to find out the sellers accepted an offer only one thousand more than ours. At the time, it was a hard pill to swallow. My husband really wanted this one.

3. One of the last houses we tried to buy,  I realized as I viewed it I knew the owner's daughter. Like really KNEW the owner's daughter and the selling realtor was a parent in my daughter's class. I thought this is it! This is my sign from God. What are the odds?? I even messaged my friend on social media and told her my interest and that we were going to put in an offer. I didn't text her. I could've but decided I didn't want to put pressure on her to sell us the house if they had a better offer. Well, needless to say God intervened and my friend never saw the message until days later and we were informed that the sellers had accepted another offer. God hands down shut that door and I had to convince my friend that I wasn't upset. She actually was upset for me! But honestly I wasn't. I knew for a FACT God had shut that door. 

The year and this process bought different struggles for each my husband and I. My husband really struggled with the p-r-o-c-e-s-s of getting to the right house and being rejected repeatedly. He shared with me that he thought God was punishing him and that he wasn't good enough for God to answer his prayer.   He became extremely angry after the first 3 offer rejections. He would openly admit that. I, on the other hand, didn't want many of the houses that we were putting offers on but my struggle lay in keeping my mouth shut and allowing my husband to make the decision. I can vividly remember putting in an offer and not being able to sleep. This happened more times than I can count.  I would constantly pray God please intervene here, I'm unsettled. And with each offer, I had to yield that God could and would intervene to eventually lead us to the right house.

We both were uncomfortable. We both had lessons to learn here.

We both finally gave up. Like truly, in our hearts resigned that the timing was just not right. God must have a better plan.

We signed another 6 month lease to rent and decided to wait it out through the holidays and my sister's wedding that fall. James struggled to accept another 6 months of waiting, while I relaxed in the extended time to stall. 

And before we knew it, the months had past and it was time. James didn't seem to be as anxious and I suddenly had the urge to pull the trigger. Both our perspectives had slightly altered from just 6 months prior. Because isn't that what God does? He aligns your mind and heart to His will? All of the sudden you find yourself hoping for that different path? From out of nowhere peace extends when it was formerly missing?

I just knew. I knew deep down in my heart that God had this perfect little house for us. That fit in our budget, that fit in the proximity to our lives. I knew that God would INTERVENE. I knew the time was now.

And wouldn't you know it, within two weeks of this new search. We found "the one." The perfect lay out, the perfect location. The perfect price range. I knew we had to go in hard and fast with an offer. I also knew based on the sign that hung by the front door that the sellers also believed in God's power. We put in an offer, and I wrote a letter telling the sellers just who we are and what we stand for. I wanted them to have peace in their decision, and told them we trusted God above all else.

And do you know what happened? I couldn't make this up if I tried. 

We didn't hear any word back for over 48 hours. I texted my realtor, Anything? His response. Nope, I hear they had other offers. 

What seemed like an eternity later, the call came. They (the sellers) want to meet you guys. It's non-negotiable. You have to meet them if you want to possibly move forward with purchasing this house.

Huh?

It wasn't traditional to say the least. My realtor made that known to us. Sellers normally don't meet buyers prior to a closing, or prior to an agreement being made when realtors are involved. I mean isn't that what realtors are for? So sellers and buyers don't have to meet? With intrigue and bewilderment, we set up a time and date and headed over there.

They immediately hugged us and as we sat down, I knew the house was ours. I could go on in details what exactly what was said during this meeting but the MAIN POINT of it was God INTERVENED. You see, there had been multiple offers; better offers than the one we presented. And like any normal person, the husband wanted to go with the highest offer (not ours.) The wife, on the other hand, said she was immediately drawn to us because of our letter but left it up to her husband. Well, wouldn't you know it, this man said he went to bed with his mind made up but in the middle of the night "God had woken him up." He continued to tell us he sat there unable to sleep and in turmoil. He felt so strongly that God was whispering to him to give us the house, and yet he was struggling to accept it. It just didn't seem logical or make any sense. He sat there for what seemed like hours rolling all of it in his mind and in his words "arguing with God just like Jacob wrestled with God in the Bible. So did I over this."

He went to sleep still wrestling and woke up wrestling. He drove to the store in that continued state and somewhere on the way home with bread in his hand, he had come to one conclusion... God wants James and Carla to have this house, he wants that family who wrote the letter to have this house. (side note: other offers also wrote letters and the sellers told us so.) But who was he to argue with God's will? So despite losing money, despite his logical judgement, he decided to accept our offer. And he ended his story by saying "that's why you are here tonight, I just had to meet the people that God wanted in this house!" It was not the letter that sold us, it was that God interjected His will in the situation. 

Tears rolled down my face, and I looked over to see James' mouth hanging open wide.

God had intervened.

He changed a man's mind. He woke a man up from sound sleep and made him unsettled in his heart. He stopped us from buying 6 other houses. This was our 7th offer on a home, and ironically SEVEN is God's perfect number. Did we wait? Yes. Was it always fun? No. But when I ask God to direct my steps than I accept all the twists and turns and the waiting game.  God's timing is perfect. Always perfect. I have no doubt in my mind that we are going to love this house, that there is purpose for us in it. I have ZERO concerns and peace that flows through me in an unexplainable way. 

Because that is the golden ticket. Remaining at peace while you wait on God to move, trusting and believing that HE WILL ALTER your steps for your benefit. He also has the ability to alter other people for you. He can part the Red Sea. He can speak in a burning bush. He can give you a home that exceeds your expectations. He can answer the whispers under your breath.

I'm praying that this story gives someone hope that despite their waiting that God is in the business of intervening on your behalf for your good to ultimately bless you. Because that is WHO He is. He is a God for you. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

XO

Carla