For some months now I have been struggling with what many will know is the stressful business of buying and selling property. It seemed wise to me for my wife and I, as the years move on, to think about moving from our first-floor flat to somewhere on the ground floor, perhaps in some designated retirement accommodation. In the New Year we began looking for somewhere suitable to buy, and in March put our present flat up for sale with a local estate agent.
Over the next three months we had several viewings of our flat and even one promising offer to buy. But then the buyer changed his mind. Meanwhile two flats that we had seen for sale, that would have met our own requirements, had come and gone. By the end of June, I was feeling confused and frustrated, and beginning to wonder if we were doing the right thing. I prayed, of course, and asked God to give me some clear word or sign of what we should do.
At the beginning of July, I made an appointment to see our estate agent to seek his advice. I said that I was wondering whether we should take our flat off the market, at least for the time being. Somewhat to my surprise the agent agreed. “It does not seem to be going anywhere at the moment, does it,” he said. Then to my surprise, he said, “I know that you are man of God.” (He knew that I was a retired vicar.) “And we don’t want to get ahead of the Almighty, do we.”
I nearly fell off my chair. Here was God speaking to me through an estate agent! So, yes, we have taken our flat off the market, for now at least.
However, I was still somewhat anxious about the prospect of not moving, as my wife’s mobility continued to deteriorate. So, we went with friends to a Christian Healing Centre for a weekday service where prayer was offered for anyone’s needs. I went forward at the end of the service and two people prayed for me, for guidance. Amongst the words from God that this couple offered me while praying was something about following where the Lord was leading. At once there came into my mind the Christmas carol about Good King Wenceslas, and the words from that carol, “In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted; heat was in the very sod, which the saint had printed.”
Those words have remained with me powerfully ever since. All I must do is to follow in the footsteps of the Master, in this case Jesus, and he will lead me step by step.
Since that day, I have had peace about our future, unknown as it is. Praise the Lord and watch this space!
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