the fight

 

We have been dreaming of moving to the country for years. Each time we spent a weekend with family or friends out in the wide open spaces, we would scour the market for our dream house, make plans to fix up the broken places inside our walls, and make a run at moving out.

Most recently I’ve felt feverish about it, knowing that we will have to sell our house before we can put an offer on a new one, since houses are selling almost as soon as they are listed. 

After spending several hours last night shopping for light fixtures, I woke up early this morning feeling pressed to pray for our country. Everything has felt so volatile, and things are shifting so quickly, I felt overwhelmed and almost fearful of what may come. I quickly sent Dale a message to say that I was having second thoughts about selling, and maybe we ought to just stay put. 

I’ve told my children, over and over, that God carefully placed this dream in each of our hearts, and He will bring it to pass in His perfect timing. But all of a sudden I felt nervous and unsure. And then I came across this verse. A verse that I’ve read many times, but it has never hit me like it did tonight. 

“The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be quiet.” Exodus 4:14

Maybe I’m reaching here, but the verse right before it is Moses saying, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today...”

Granted, he was talking to 600,000 people who were being pursued by the armies of Egypt. But I felt it deep in my guts that God was settling this for me. It feels impossible, this dream that He’s put in our hearts. But I feel an urgency to follow through and sell our house. Then again, the “what if’s” are huge. And our family is huge. And if we don’t have a place to live when our house goes away... there’s a lot to fear. That’s why it struck me so profoundly. Do not fear. Just be obedient. This is His to manage, not mine.

Do not fear, dear one. The Lord will fight for you.