Our family has enjoyed many blessings over the years, and we see God's hand of providence every day so long as we are wise enough to look around to see what the Lord is doing. Today we were blessed to gather with our family in Christ, the Campbell and Nunley families in Lutz, Florida. Then we headed over to my brother's house in Carrollwood to enjoy time with our physical family(also family in Christ).
Our travels have been blessed with safety and we have seen much fruit from the Lord's work. We have been blessed to meet and encourage disciples of Jesus Christ in many locations, a work that we thank the Lord for sending and equipping us to do. Looking back, it seems to have been many years since we sold our home and moved into a camper, but it has not yet been quite two years. Amazing how time flies when you are having fun!
This week the Lord has given us clarity concerning His plan for us in the immediate future, which includes a move to Key West to work with a local church through Gospel outreach and encouragement in the Lord's work. As most of you know, we have felt the Lord's leading to labor longer in a location, and not to make our own long range plans, but rather to wait upon God for His timing. We should arrive in Key West in early December, Lord willing, and will be staying at least until the end of January. That is all the plans we have so far, and we will wait on the Lord to show us what happens from there. In the last two years of our ministry, we have often planned the next few stops in advance, and the Lord has blessed. Still, we feel God's calling to stay and labor until He moves us.
Our change in direction includes the need to sell our camper, which has been our traveling home for 18 months now. The camper is being cleaned out and put on the market this week. This is in part due to the lack of parking space for it, and in part due to the changing needs of our family. Though it has been a great asset in the past, when we head to Key West the camper will quickly become a liability, as we would have to find a place to park or store it. After much prayer and consideration, we know God has led us to sell the camper.
The passage below was shared with us concerning the Lord's leading in their family ministry, and I have found the wisdom in it to be applicable in our situation. The children of Israel did not make long range plans, but they followed the leading of the Lord:
Numbers 9:15-23 "On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped.
At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out. And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out.
Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses."
Isn't it interesting how God says the same thing over and over to explain the leading and moving of the children of Israel? I have noticed that sometimes I am not listening too well, and God has been gracious enough to repeat it for those of us who are a little thick in the head. I thank the Lord for His patience and mercy for all the times we miss the writing on the wall.
I am also reminded of James' words as inspired by the Holy Spirit; "James 4:13-16 "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. "
We have learned more and more as we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord to let Him make the plans, and obey His calling. The fleshly tendency is to make our plans and then ask God to bless. God may keep us moving from place to place or settle us in to help a local church long term. We have learned to watch and pray, to seek His glory in all things. We often fail, but we thank the Lord for His mercy and grace when we fail. We thank the Lord for you all, and appreciate your prayers as we transition to a home without wheels, for however long that may be.
