Make a Life Where You Live
“Seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 TEV)
There are all kinds of reasons houses sell quickly or take a long time to sell, but I’ve always been particularly attentive to Christians who put a house on the market because they are responding to God’s call.
I’ve watched as those houses sell the same day they’re listed, but I’ve also seen them take forever to sell, forcing the families to pay for a place to live while still paying the mortgage on an empty house. One of my friends, after waiting two years for his house to sell, eventually donated it to a non-profit organization, getting him out from under the monthly payment, even though he lost all his equity.
Yet, I believe in God’s economy, and that means he can sell any house at any time he desires.
So why is there sometimes a huge delay?
Because God’s goal is to get us focused on Kingdom thinking and Kingdom finances. God is continually pushes us into places where we can develop more faith, places where we must make a choice between trusting him and leaning on our own understanding.
Perhaps God delays because he wants us desperately looking for him and how he provides, helping us to develop the faithful attitude of gratefulness.
Many of us are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11: “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.”
But that verse is actually part of a “Letter from God” to the Jewish people who are being held captive in Babylon. They want to go home to Israel, but God says it isn’t time yet. He tells them, “Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease. Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too” (Jeremiah 29:5-7 TEV).
God says it’s going to be a while, so make a life. Don’t invest your energy in hopes of leaving; instead, invest your energy in the people around you. Don’t be physically present but mentally somewhere else, thinking of the future or the past, thinking of someplace else. Following Jesus requires that we be fully present in the present.
God also says pray for the place you live, because as it prospers, you will prosper. He says, “Seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 TEV).
Think it over
What are the differences in the world’s economy and God’s economy? In which do you place your trust?
What steps can you take to more fully invest in the place where God has you — in your neighborhood, workplace, or church?
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