Matthew 27:62-66
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
This is an excerpt from my morning Bible reading. As I read the words "by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard," it occurred to me that these final steps to make it "impossible" for the tomb to be opened actually just made it all the more spectacular when God did open it!
This called to my mind the way we came to live in this house.... the TINY houses that fit our budget.... the despair over how much we'd have to give up to return to the city... and then the BLAZE of glory when we found this place (not as tiny as the rest) and saw it, applied for it and moved into it in the span of just 11 days! It was as if the TERRIBLE house we visited was for the sole purpose of making the miracle God was about to do shine brighter!
Well we've got another sealed stone in front of us now. We have SEVERELY outgrown this miracle house. We have 3 teenage boys and one little girl sharing a bedroom. We have 7 people (one of them an old lady with "bathroom issues") sharing one bathroom. We need to get this family into a bigger space! At bare minimum, we need one more bedroom and one more bathroom.
We have been PRAYING, and we have been SCOURING craigslist.... Buying a house seems improbable.... 4BR/2 bath rentals are FEW and far between & PRICEY too... the other day what seemed like the death blow to our mortgage dreams was dealt, and John was VERY discouraged. I told him God was closing doors that we should not go through, and I REALLY believe that. But this morning I wondered, "What if God was just allowing the stone to be sealed and a guard to be posted so that He can "roll away the stone" in a blaze of glory? What if God just wants to KNOCK OUR SOCKS OFF when He answers this prayer?
Whatever the deal is, I'm just along for His ride. I'm doing my part: searching for houses, praying my butt off, and remaining hopeful, and I'm also watching and waiting to see what He does with this. I just wanted to invite you all to have a front row seat in case God is about to put on another spectacular show.
