The Lord's provisions are, at times, mind blowing!
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| my former bed |
Recently as I was trying to come up with something to blog about, my queen-size bed from five years ago came to mind. Following is a quirky yet inspiring story about that particular piece of furniture.
After moving to Maine in 2013, my rental lease was coming up for renewal, but I didn’t want to renew. I wanted to move somewhere else because I could hear everything going on beyond the perimeter of my loft. And I mean everything. The squeaky bed in the apartment directly above mine. The sounds of late-night partiers. And the ruckus made by the owner of the small grocery store below me as he opened up shop early every morning.
In addition to finding another place to live, I discerned that I was to sell all of my household items. That divine nudge seemed a bit odd. However, if there is one thing I’ve learned during my many years of walking with the Lord, it’s to act quickly on such nudges no matter how illogical they seem.
Once I knew that my intuition was correct, I posted all of my furniture on Craig’s List. That is, all except for a chair and my queen-size bed. It just didn’t make sense to sell the bed since I needed a place to lay my head each night. Little did I know that the Lord had other plans.
After posting my stuff on Craig’s List, I sensed I was to ask my young pastor if he wanted my bed. Asking any man such a question, let alone a pastor, felt uncomfortable. However, the timing was perfect since I had been meeting with him once a week for a church-related matter.
Furthermore and unbeknownst to me, my future housing need was being set up, supernaturally. Finding that home would happen with the help a lawyer named Steve at my workplace.
Steve and his wife had moved to Colorado to open a new office for our law firm. During one of his visits back to Maine, he heard me talking with other coworkers about finding a quieter place to live. Later that day, Steve asked if I was serious about moving out of my loft.
“Yes.” I sounded exasperated with the house hunt, but that feeling evaporated immediately when he put forth a proposition to me.
He asked if I would consider moving into his fully furnished home in Maine that hadn’t sold yet. Steve emphasized that he and his wife would feel more at ease knowing that someone they trusted was staying there until they found a buyer.
I was floored! Only God could have orchestrated every step leading up to Steve’s proposal. My concern in finding a new place to live vanished, immediately. However, the Holy Spirit’s prodding to ask my pastor if he wanted my bed did not.
I knew Pastor Dan and his young family had furniture in the church apartment where they lived. Hence, it just didn’t make sense why he would need a bed, so I avoided asking if he wanted mine. Nonetheless, I couldn’t shake the urgency to broach the subject with him. The pressure to follow through intensified and I had no peace. Finally, I gave in, knowing I had to talk with Dan soon.
As we were wrapping up one of our weekly meetings, I asked, “Can I speak with you about a personal matter?”
“Sure.” Dan sat back down in his chair and cocked an ear to listen.
I looked him straight in the eye and asked, “I’m moving to a furnished home and would like to know if you want my bed. Do you need a bed?” I wondered if he thought I was strange for asking such an intrusive question.
The expression on his face looked like that of a deer caught in headlights. Figuratively speaking, I could see the cogwheels turning in his head, trying to make sense of what I had just said.
After what seemed like an eternity, he exclaimed, “Yes, I do!”
Now it was my turn to be dumbfounded, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
The stunned look that had flashed across Dan’s face only seconds before was actually his astonishment at how a need was being met. He told me that he and his wife had bought a house and were moving soon. He also revealed that the church had hired a new technical director who would be moving into the church apartment. The new guy needed a bed.
I explained to Dan about the divine nudges to ask if he wanted my bed. I was relieved to learn why I felt such an urgency to do so. Finding out about the new fellow’s search for a bed assured me that I hadn’t lost my mind. That I was just obeying a heavenly directive.
Dan volunteered to find people to help me move. He asked that I rent a truck on moving day in order to transport my bed to the church. He made the deal even sweeter by informing me of some nice twin beds stored in the church basement. He encouraged me to take one.
Weeks later, my bedroom furniture was dropped off at the church, and a twin bed was loaded on my rental truck. Dan and three members of his church staff helped with my move into Steve’s house.
That house—a Cape Cod located near a golf course—was nestled against a lush backdrop filled with pine trees and ferns. The solitude of that secluded homestead, especially after a fresh snowfall, reinvigorated my soul. In retrospect, I’m so thankful to have been provided with such a peaceful setting during that “alone” season in my life.
Steve’s home sold a year later, so I moved into an efficiency apartment. I took the twin bed with me and still owned the chair, but I needed a table. At a neighborhood garage sale, I spent five dollars on a small desk to serve as a tabletop. My kitchen was stocked with some dishes left behind by Steve and his wife. An out-of-state family member gave me pots and pans that had been collecting dust in his basement. All of those household items were proof that God will always provide for me when I trust Him and follow His directions.
My efficiency apartment looked like a barely furnished dorm room, yet I refused to buy more furniture. And here’s why. I just sensed I wouldn’t be living in Maine much longer. A year later, I donated my three pieces of furniture and the kitchenware to charity, and then moved south. Surprisingly, the remainder of my worldly possessions fit in my car.
That move happened almost three years ago. Since then, God has provided two Christian households for me to live in after 16 years of being on my own.
My hope is that my bed story will give you the courage to step out in faith, knowing that the Lord will always provide for your needs wherever He leads. And in case you didn’t know, He did the same for Abraham, the founding father of our faith, after he obeyed God’s directives.
Have a blessed day!
“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.” - Genesis 22:13-14a (NIV)
