Give Me a Week

Last week started off like the rest have lately. A week was ahead and there was a lot of uncertainties in our path. The main one of course was wondering how we were going to finish our barn house so we could move. I was honored to start the week off on the porch of the barn in a time of prayer. I was very uncertain of what to pray. I came to God with my plan on how I could finish and pay for the work. You ever done that?

As I laid out my plan before Him, part of me was broken. My plan would work, but I was not 100% positive that was His plan. I have come to a place in life that I do not want to take any steps if they have not been first soaked in prayer (something I am learning fresh in my 40 years of life.) As I gave God my plan, I was overwhelmed by these words, "Give Me a Week!"

I asked God to tell me what He had planned in a weeks time, but as you can guess, He only repeated "Give Me a week!" My spirit groaned a little because that meant I would have to be patient and wait, which is by far my worst character trait. Reluctantly, I agreed to wait on the Lord, based off His goodness shown to us before in waiting on Him.

As the week progressed, very little seemed to be taking place. My mom had offered to buy our paint for the barn, so we spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday painting the ceilings and priming the walls. We kept asking God to supply and show us His plan for provision. we prayed, as you all have and we watched. By Thursday, my patience had worn out and I again brought my plan to God as if that must be His way. I told my mom of my plan and thankfully she asked a simple question, "What happened to waiting a week?"

Admittedly, that was not what I wanted to hear. I wanted someone to agree with me and tell me my plan was a good one. I did not want to be reminded of my need to be patient and wait on God. However, I am grateful my mother was willing to be bold and ask me that question. What it boiled down to was this, could I wait 3 more days?

As soon as I committed to her to wait on God, the following took place:

1. A Real Estate deal I had been working which was experiencing problems came to a conclusion and will be closed in July.

2. I received a call to be the Auctioneer for an estate in the Nashville area from an attorney who had met me at a charity event I had done this past winter.

3. I received a call and someone came the following morning and bought $1000 worth of lambs.

4. Another call came and we sold another set of ram lambs to another shepherd on Saturday.

5. I listed a house for a couple who will soon be our neighbors and their house should not take long to sell with our current market and its location.

On top of this, I was also blessed to meet two sisters in Christ who approached me through this ministry about serving them as their Realtor in their search for a farm to do a ministry work that has been put on their heart. What they have asked for seems to be the impossible, however, we all know God is the God who loves to do impossible things through prayer and belief.

Believe it or not, none of this was actually the highlight of my week though. That came through a phone call I received on Friday from a dear sister from Indiana who asked if he could come see us on their (her husband and her) way through to Atlanta. Being this was the second meeting in one week with someone who knew me from videos but I had never met, I admit I was again reluctant to accept, but felt it was what my Father wanted. So we set up to meet Saturday morning at 9 am.

When they arrived, myself and the whole family greeted them and welcomed them to the farm. As we walked out into the field with the sheep, she was telling us of how she had raised sheep for 30 years on their farm in Indiana and how God had allowed her to use stories from her sheep to teach in Churches, Sunday Schools, and Day Cares, anywhere she was asked to go.

I watched as she fed some of our sheep by hand and we enjoyed about an hour together. As we walked out of the field, she said she wanted to encourage me in our ministry work. This is what she told us:

They raised sheep for 30 years. Each year she would be given a lesson from the sheep connected with a biblical principle in January and they would share that wherever they were asked to go. As years have caught up to them, they eventually had to let go of their sheep because they no longer were physically able to care for them. You could tell how much this caused her pain because of her love for sheep. However, in obedience to God, she obeyed and they loaded all their sheep this past fall and sold them.

This past January, she asked God if there was a lesson she was to share, and God told her no, that her time was over and she was to rest. She agreed, however she asked god to do one thing. She asked that He would raise up someone to take her place to share the great news of the Good Shepherd.

She looked me in the eye and told me that less than a month later, my video was shared with her by one of her children. She smiled as she let me know God had answered her prayer.

I was overwhelmed in that moment with a joy surpassing all others. I had never stopped to think that maybe I was the answer to someone else's prayers. I honestly had just considered this was something God was sparking in me, little did I stop to think that maybe there was someone out there asking God to raise me up for such a time as this.

I say all that to say to you, do not underestimate what it is you are doing right now in the Kingdom of God. You may at times become tired and weary, you may be surrounded by a life that makes you feel anxious and worn out, but more than likely, there is someone who has gone before you and they have asked for God to raise up someone to work in their stead, and you are the answer to that prayer! (Think that over for a bit and let it really sink in!!)

Give God a week? With what all He has done in mine this week, imagine what He could do with a lifetime dedicated to waiting on Him to move!

Enjoy The Shepherd!