About a month ago, I revealed that God’s word for me for 2013 is PRAYER. And then I promised to take you on the journey of discovery with me. Well, I’m excited to kick off that journey with our very own miracle.
Let me catch you up:
We have been living with my mother-in-law for that last 6 months, ever since we transferred from Hawaii on our way out of the army. She has been such a blessing throughout this whole process. My husband was supposed to get his VA disability changed over the day after he separated from the army, per the new system. However, due to various complications, that didn’t happen. It’s been hard to plan for anything–financial, careers, etc–without having this paperwork (and money). On top of it all, we were told we would not be receiving the disability pay right away because we had to pay back the severance check we got from the army. I won’t bore you with the details–but the whole process of being discharged for medical reasons has been a nightmare.
Anyway, since we weren’t being paid, we didn’t have money to get our own place, much less anything else. Luckily, the stipend we received paid off all our debt, so we weren’t falling behind. But, we couldn’t move forward either. We were stuck. Here is what we were looking at: I would have to give up my writing and homeschooling for the time being so that i could get a job outside the home, and my husband (who is 90% disabled and attending school) would also have to find a job that could handle his diability and still pay decently. Our whole lifestyle was about to be turned upside down.
Now, I am ever the dreamer, so even though we couldn’t afford anything, I was looking at houses for sale. I kept coming back to this one that I just loved. LOVED. It was big enough for our family, with room to spare (which is good because we plan to adopt in the near future). The backyard is HUGE–plenty of room for the kids to run around, plus we can have a garden. I really wanted this house–but I knew we’d never be able to afford it, at least not until the disability came through and we got jobs.
I began to pray.
Well, then we realized that the owners of the house were willing to discuss a rent-to-own option. That would be perfect–we could pay rent until the diability went through and we could qualify for a mortgage. Still, trying to get a house when you have no money coming in isn’t exactly a smart move. I didn’t want to get us into trouble.
I continued to pray.
A million thoughts went through my mind. Maybe this house wasn’t meant to be ours. Maybe it was too much house. Maybe God wanted us to wait. We couldn’t afford this–it would be stupid to try. All these thoughts wailing over this quiet voice.
Do it.
Pushing the rest of the voices aside, I kept praying.
I will take care of you.
What? Surely, God didn’t mean…
Trust me. Have I not always provided for you?
Well, yeah, He had. I mean, I owe my life to Him–literally.
This is the house for you and your family.
Now my head was telling me one thing, and my heart another. Maybe I was only hearing what I wanted to hear. So, I prayed and I watched. The house sat untouched for over a month. Maybe…well, it couldn’t hurt to just talk to the realtor, tell him what I thought we could afford, see what he said.
And you know what? It all worked out. We got all the paperwork signed and a date set–February 1st.
Now, some would think that was the miracle. We got a house–yay! No, the story gets better.
One day last week, my mother-in-law and I took the girls and went to Walmart. My husband called while we were letting the girls peruse the toy aisle. He was excited to inform me that he had gotten the disability paperwork in the mail. It came through! So not only did we have the house, but based on the numbers, we could qualify for the mortgage. As if that weren’t enough, the letter came with even better news. We didn’t have to pay back the severance check! That meant we would start receiving disability pay right away, and not have to wait 3 years. So, we got the house, we will qualify for a mortgage, and we can pay all of our bills (without my husband and I having to get jobs outside the home).
A miracle right when we needed it.
God does here our prayers, people. He is not ignoring us. He is not sitting idly by. His answers come in His time, in His way. We are greatly loved by a God that provides.
I’m even more excited to embark on this prayer journey for 2013. I have a strange feeling that this is going to be an amazing year. So, how can I pray for you?
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Dana McNeely
January 28, 2013 at 9:01 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What an exciting, happy story. I’m so glad for you that God chose to answer this prayer with a big “YES!” What an encouraging beginning for your year of prayer. Pray for me, in my writing, that I will be bold enough to do the work to the best of my ability despite niggling doubts that I’m not good enough. Thanks! Dana
Jessica R. Patch
January 28, 2013 at 9:12 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That’s incredible! Love to hear encouraging stories like these!
You’re such a blessing!
Sarah
January 28, 2013 at 9:17 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Praise God for your news!!! I am so excited for you. Further proof that He hears our prayers and that truly provides. One of my life verses is Isaiah 41:10 and your story just brightened my day.
I could always use prayer for a literary agent.
Linda
January 28, 2013 at 10:30 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Such an encouraging thing to hear! God moves in such great & even small ways, so happy for you & your family!
Ralene
January 28, 2013 at 11:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks ladies! My family and I are so grateful for God’s provision. I have those of you who asked for prayer on my list!