By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
“It’s all in God’s timing.”
We hear this quote quite often when waiting to see answers to our prayers. But I believe we have used this theology to paint a wide stroke over prayer needs, in error.
I would like to share a testimony, with scripture, to illustrate this point.
Back in June 2021 the Lord put it on our hearts to look for a new home.
We had lived in our house for 28 years, that I am so grateful for, but it was small with limited space, well, everywhere. The food pantry was about 2 ft. wide and 3 ft. deep, and the washer/dryer were located in the kitchen as well.
We had the best neighbors on a quiet cul-de-sac street so that was a blessing, but really no privacy. I know we were a “bit late” on this decision, but with my hubby about to retire it was needful to find our forever home.
So one night, my hubby and I sat down at our kitchen table and discussed what we wanted. White picket fence, large porch, plenty of cabinet space in the kitchen, farm sink, granite countertops, large private back yard, and lots of character!
After a couple of weeks we had completed the vision and wrote it down according to Habakkuk 2:2-3.
“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it, For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” And we also asked the Lord to put an agreement of peace in both of our hearts when we found the right one. We pinned that vision on our fridge as a reminder.
We began to search in earnest, with the help of a dear friend of 35 years who is also a Realtor. Every night I logged into Har.com to look over the listings. Now, this was when home values had begun to skyrocket, along with the shortage of homes on the market.
Every day I would look at our vision on the fridge, declare the verse (God’s promise) over it, and thank the Lord for our new home.
Needless to say, during that period the pickens’ were slim, and by the time October rolled around I was more than weary of the whole process. I was praying every day for the Lord to “show us our home”, “Lord, where is our home?’ We went to several showings along the way, and even put an offer on one of them only to lose out to someone else.
One home showed promise, yet it wasn’t exactly what we had in mind, but again, we were so tired by this point, and worn down, ready to compromise on the vision pinned on our fridge.
It was a nice home and we found out that we even knew the family who were selling it. It had been on the market for a few months, and the price had just been reduced. It was reasonable for that current market, and in an established neighborhood. And even though there were some minor foundation repairs needed (they had started them, but had not completed the job), our Realtor advised us “to take this one into serious consideration.”
In a rush, my hubby met me after work to look it over, and it had many of the things we had written down on our list. Besides the foundation, it did need some touch-up work, but nothing major that we knew of. Again, it was a really nice home, but in my spirit something didn’t feel right. Yet, the pressure to “grab it before it was gone” set in and we put an offer on the house that day. (Here’s a good reminder, the devil always pushes, the Holy Spirit leads.)
I have to tell you, in my heart a real grief/dread set in. There is a verse in Colossians that tells us to, “… let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (NKJV) The word “rule” is used in the context of an umpire. As we move in a direction the Holy Spirit will either give us peace about it, or unrest in our decisions. If we stay sensitive to His leading.
Well, during that entire night I did not sleep, I had less and less peace about our decision. It wasn’t fear, it was sheer dread. In truth, I had such a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach just imagining us purchasing that home. But my hubby seemed to think the decision made sense, dollar-wise, and again, it was a nice home.
The next day we told our son about it, he works at a bank in the Southern part of the county and was helping us with the financing. He was very excited about the selling price and that the home showed promise with some minor touch ups. So, my thumb’s up from him which was nice.
Because of the unrest in my spirit, I contacted our Pastor about it, and found out that my Pastor’s parents had actually built that home!!! What???
They said that they prayed over the property while it was being built and over the years they held many Bible Studies and prayer meetings in that home.
Many of you reading this might think, “Well, there’s your confirmation!’ But even with this news my mind found some consolation, yet in my spirit the unrest was still there, maybe even a little stronger.
My Pastor agreed that it was a nice home, but as a good Shepherd, we were wisely counseled to, “go with what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do.”
That same day, the sellers accepted our offer and even said they would pay all closing costs since they knew our family. Talk about pressure!! Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for us to buy this home. It looked good!
Some people said I was experiencing “buyer’s remorse,” but it wasn’t a fear, it was sheer dread, and it was getting stronger with each “good” report. (But you know, “compromise” is the language of the devil. If he can’t get you to change your mind, he will try to wear you down and accept less than God’s best.)
At the same time, my hubby’s job was extremely busy, so he was coming and going so much with long working hours. When I kept asking him if he liked the home he would reply, “Sure, it’s a nice house. He had been so busy he didn’t have a lot of time to help me look, so I knew he just wanted to see me done with the whole process. So, he would reply, “Whatever you want, I’m good.”
We barely had time to talk, but finally, in passing that evening, I stopped him and looked him right in the eye, “Honey, tell me. In your heart, what do YOU think about this house?”
He looked at me for a long minute and quietly said, “Sweetheart, it’s a good house, but it’s not our house!”
Immediately the peace of God flooded my heart and soul.
Relief! I knew what to do.
I called our Realtor and asked her to politely refuse the offer. And as a good Realtor, she informed me that this offer, per square foot, was well below the asking price for homes in this market, and too carefully considered it again. I thanked her for letting me know that, and we had made the decision to let it go.
That afternoon, the sellers offered more incentives and were more than gracious.
But we remained at peace about our decision to keep looking for “our” home, so with much thanksgiving for their offer, we backed away. (I was very happy to hear that it did sell just a short time later.)
Two weeks after all of this, our Realtor sent me another link to a new listing. As I scrolled through the photos my heart remained guarded but optimistic. Remember, I had said it would have character? Well, this 1939 home had tons of it. All updated, and just waiting for the right buyer. But when I looked at the price, I thought “Wow”, this is way lower than I expected.
My Realtor called me and said, “The offer’s are starting to come in, but if you want I can get us a showing this afternoon.” Come to find out, she had just closed on a house with the Realtor involved in this one. (They had known each other for years and were friends.)
Now, it just so happened that my hubby got off work early that day and met me at the house. It was a very familiar home to me near the courthouse in Angleton. I have driven by it probably hundreds of times in the past 28 years we’ve lived in that town.
The moment I pulled in the driveway a rush of God’s peace covered me, and the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming I said under my breath, “Lord, THIS is OUR HOME!!”
My hubby pulled up to the front of the house, and immediately he agreed!
We took the tour and it just got better and better as we strolled across the beautiful hardwood floors and past the huge built-in china cabinets, with the window seat nestled in between. Crown molding in all the 3 bedrooms and lots of windows in every room.
The kitchen was completely updated with granite countertops and a large stainless steel farm sink. There was one whole wall of built-in cabinets. Plus deep and wide storage places built in above that reach to the 10-foot ceilings. The home is pier and beam, and ceilings were shiplap also.
I looked through the original windows to the recently built deck outback with a pergola and gorgeous Peggy Martin flowers splayed over the top and hanging dangly over the sides. The landscaping was beautiful and a magnificent Magnolia tree, with a white bench seat encircling it, provided shade for one whole side of the old graceful home.
But my husband was sold on the huge newly-constructed drywalled garage with reset lighting, complete with a work table and sink. Lol!
With the advice of our son, we offered about $10,000 above the asking price and agreed to pay all closing costs. The Lord even put it on our hearts to include a personal letter to the seller about why we wanted “this” own.
Well, by that evening they had so many offers they quit taking them.
The next day we were informed that we got the house!! Praise the Lord!!
Because it was 82 years old, there was a lot to check out of course.
But the good reports started pouring in, the inspection report had several things listed out of code because of the age of the home, but nothing major, in truth he told me, “Mrs. Groves, this home is an exceptional find. You can’t even find the wood they used to construct this home anymore.”
The termite report was clear, the plumbing had been newly updated, and the foundation company told us that this home’s foundation was “better than 99 percent of the homes we inspect.” It just kept getting better and better. It was above and beyond what we could ask or think! Eph. 3:20-21
We put in our offer on November 15th and closed on December 15th. Just in time for Christmas!!!
As another blessing, we wanted to meet the Seller during the buying process and she was eager to meet us. She and I became good friends and she told us some history of the home, and how to maintain it. She even passed along all of her records for repairs, warranties, and replacements that had been done over the past few years that she had owned it. She even gave us the detailed notes of the Contractor who built the home in 1939. Wow!
Then I asked her what made her accept our offer because I knew that she had received other attractive ones.
She told me that the incentives certainly helped, and the letter touched her heart, but the one thing she wanted was peace during the sale. She had heard horror stories of rifts between Realtor and buyers/sellers, so she had prayed for a peaceful transaction. And when looking over all the offers, her Realtor expressed to her how easy mine was to work with. She said that was the deciding factor. (Did I mention that we had also prayed for favor:)
One day during one of our visits I asked her why she decided to sell the home, I could tell she was sad about leaving it. Then she told me that this was supposed to be her forever home, but she suffered a sudden personal loss of a loved one and she decided to sell the house and move in with her son.
God’s timing.
Of course, God didn’t take someone’s life to provide us with this home. That was Satan’s work. (John 10:10) But in God’s foreknowledge, He knew when our home would be available.
So, when the Lord told us to look for a new home, I should have asked Him … when? Lol!
(Dear Readers, I added a lot of details because I wanted to boast about the Lord, it is all for God’s glory, and to testify of His goodness. He is no respecter of persons, what He did for us, He is more than willing to do for you.) Romans 2:11)
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
