Moving.
It is hard. Uprooting, packing, leaving behind friends and family.
Keith and I are a military family and, by default, so are our kids.
We have come to the season where it is time for a permanent change of station (PCS). We have to move from where we are planted.
This move takes us 3000 miles from the east coast to the west coast (New Jersey to Washington State). Not too overwhelming unless you know that we did a similar move only 9 short months ago (that time, from California to New Jersey).
Such is the life of a military service member.
We love the ministry and the military.
Moving, however, is tough.
It is tough for many reasons — uprooting kids and teens from friends, leaving a church home, finding a church home, securing a new place to live and cleaning and vacating the old place, etc.
As we have entered this season and await our packers, which arrive next week, the Lord is reminding me that moving is an opportunity to see God’s faithfulness at work in our lives as a family.
Psalm 20 says,
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call! (NIV)
Verses 6-8 speak volumes to my heart as I have the opportunity to build my faith in God, through trust and obedience in Him, in this situation.
I have the opportunity to trust in the “name of the Lord our God” and as I do that I am promised that those who do trust in the Lord will “. . . rise up and stand firm.”
Stand firm. Those are two powerful words. We can stand firm in Christ even as the world moves at such a fast pace around us. Circumstances arise and require attention and threaten to pull our eyes off of the Lord Jesus. When our eyes are not fixed on the Author and Finisher of our faith we can get off track easily. God is inviting me to use the circumstances that challenge me to build my faith.
Is there an area of you life that you feel that you need victory or that you need to rise up and stand firm? Perhaps it is in an area of your marriage relationship, or in your parenting role or something else?
I am sure that most of you are not moving across country next week like me and my family, but I am confident that you may be facing an opportunity to build your faith in God that will only happen through trust and obedience.
I encourage you to press into God’s Word for direction. Remember, moving (ahead in your faith) requires trust and obedience.
Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand. (Ps. 20:6)
♥Kim
image by haml via everystockphoto.com
