There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven – Ecclesiastes 3:1
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Isaiah 43:19
This month we want to update you on an exciting adventure we have been on for the last several months! We have felt drawn for quite a few years to move from St Louis, Missouri, our home of over 40 years, to Jacksonville, Florida, and this summer it finally happened!
You see, both of our daughters & their families live there, including all of our grandchildren. Speaking of grandchildren, we have a brand new one! As of mid-August we now have three Grandboys! Our daughter Cherrie just gave birth to her first baby a few weeks ago, and we arrived just in time to help welcome him into the world!
And since she runs our ministry office in Jacksonville, it has been essential for us to be here managing everything office-wise during her maternity leave. So as we write, we continue settling into our home and establishing our new ministry base in northeast Florida.
As we pondered all the recent changes, we wanted to share with you
a few things we’ve learned in the process.
The scripture says, through faith and patience we inherit the promises of God. This desire to move was birthed in our hearts quite a while ago, but what we didn’t know was God had the perfect timing for this transition, and we needed to REST in Him and TRUST His guidance.
We learned so many lessons about God’s timing and about just being patient. I think too often we sense His leading to do something and we charge ahead to make it happen in our own timing.
It’s just human nature. Look at Abraham when he thought he was fixing everything by having a child through his wife’s servant instead of waiting on God’s promise and timing through His wife. And Moses, sensing in his heart a desire to free his fellow Hebrews from slavery, killed an Egyptian soldier while taking matters into his own hands. He then had to flee from Pharaoh into the wilderness and wait several years for God’s appointed time.
Here’s a Tweetable for you (Click to tweet):
God not only has a plan for our lives but He also has a journey to get us there, which is filled with rich life lessons and spiritual growth, if we will stay the process.
In our journey to relocate, we could have pushed and made our move happen several years earlier, but it would not have been the right time. There have been many transitions we’ve made along the way, and in each one the Lord has challenged us to do it right and wait for His peace and timing, which has proven to be a great blessing for us and for others involved.
This scripture has been a huge part of our journey:
The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Whenever we have a great idea or a strong desire we sense is from God, we always commit it to the Lord along with the timing. Of course we begin to make steps in that direction, but we always listen to make sure we are moving with the Lord and not getting ahead of Him. It’s good to move forward, but always be sensitive as you proceed.
An example of this is with Paul & Silas in Acts 16:6-10…
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
When God shows us what to do, He will also show us how and when.
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Instead of taking a word from God and trying to run out and push to make it happen your way, stay humble and sensitive to what He is saying.
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will
stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?
Your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:13-16
In closing, we urge you:
Listen for God’s direction, AND seriously seek His timing.
It will make all of the difference!
Journeying with you,
P.S. Please make note of our new mailing address:
Joyful Word Ministries
PO Box 2733
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32004
USA
