Have you ever been in the middle of a difficult season of life where it just seemed there was no way things were going to get better?  Sure, you knew that God could step in at any moment and turn your little ship around and everything would be ok but from the looks of things it just didn’t seem this was going to happen.  You were seeking the Lord to help in your situation and for clear direction but still no matter which way you turned you felt like you were being slammed into one brick wall after another.  Maybe it had to do with a co-worker, trying to find a new job, finances, losing the “baby weight”, or dealing with your mortgage company!   For me it was the latter.

I just ended a 15 month ordeal with our mortgage company which was brutal.  I spent so many hours on the phone with them I felt like they should put me on payroll.  I can literally recite to you all 15 “security questions” they must ask you each time you call!  It was a stressful 15 months of wondering if we might in fact lose our house.  We were doing everything we could yet things weren’t working out due to one human error after another.  It was the craziest thing I had ever dealt with.  And while all they could do was apologize for their mistakes that didn’t bring me any comfort since my home was still on the line because of their “mistakes.”  Throughout the ordeal my flesh would tell me that I should be panicked, worried and overcome with fear yet I never once experienced any of those feelings.  Did I get frustrated, absolutely, but I had an overwhelming peace that God had this one worked out.

Looking back it is a complete miracle that we did not lose our house.  If you talk to anyone in the mortgage industry they will tell you that our house should have been foreclosed on a year ago.  But God had a much different plan.  I couldn’t see the end with my eyes but I had to walk it out one step at a time and trust that He had a plan far better than anything I could dream.  Around month 14 of this long journey I was starting to get weary from dealing with this situation.  I wasn’t worried but I just wondered if it was ever going to end and I felt a little beat down from dealing with it.  I went to a women’s conference at my church and each woman was given a card that had been prayed over with a word of encouragement.  They were all different but they had prayed that the right word would get to each woman there.  This is what was written on my card:

“The Lord is the breakwater for your soul.  The waves of the world have been consistent, strong, ever tugging at your soul.  But today He stands before you to stop the erosion; no longer will they pull you under.  Stand firm in my provision and care.  He will do it.”

My eyes were filled with tears as I read it.  I needed that reminder in that moment that He was going to provide and “do it.”   One month later, He did it!  He supernaturally connected me with an angel (yes, I told the guy at the mortgage company that He was an angel from the Lord . . . pretty sure it was the best compliment he had received that day ) at our mortgage company that was able to do in 15 MINUTES what I could not get anyone to help me with in 15 MONTHS!  I was in complete awe of the power and faithfulness of our sweet Savior.

The point of this blog is not to tell you how ridiculous my mortgage company is or even to see how many times in this blog I can use the words mortgage company.  As I was praying about what to write about I know the Lord told me to share this story with you and to speak directly to those of you that are in the middle of a storm, being tossed by the waves and maybe even feeling a little eroded.  There are 3 things I believe the Lord wants to say to you.

The first comes from Philippians 4:6-7:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Many of us are familiar with these verses and we recite them often when we are going through something difficult.  The thing I want to point out to you is the last part of verse 7 where it says “as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Many times we take these verses and “claim them” and yet wonder why we still don’t have any peace.  Just a thought, but maybe it is because we are not “living in Christ Jesus.”   We claim His promises yet we act like it is still all on our shoulders.  If we don’t stay on “worry duty” then we’re not doing our part.  This was the first major trial in my life where I chose to claim His peace AND live in Christ Jesus.  The funny thing is I had peace which I couldn’t understand!  Imagine that!

Secondly, if you are going through a trial, stand firm in His provision and care.  I held tightly to these verses over the last 15 months:

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.  Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.  Then you will receive all that He has promised.”  Hebrews 10:35-36

And finally, be encouraged and at peace knowing that “He will do it”!

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.  But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.  I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24

Precious Jesus I stand today with those who are being tossed by the waves of this world and we claim your promises of peace, provision and care.  Lord, we say to these mountains MOVE in Jesus name!  We rest in confident peace that you will do it!  And now all glory to you God, who is able, through your mighty power at work within us, to accomplish INFINITELY more than we might ask or think. GLORY to you Christ Jesus!  Amen.

Kelli Jones