Unchanging

One of my recent posts highlighted my excitement about Cross Point Church's big move to West Allis and the fabulous building God provided for us. Well, only a few short days after that post, as we were about to submit our offer an offer much higher than ours was submitted to the credit union that owns the property.

Today I was reminded of a few simple truths about God's love. And here is why I believe that God still has mighty plans for that building.

A couple weeks ago when the leadership stood before Cross Point Church and told us all about the miracles that had happened before their eyes with the sale of our building, the encouraging correspondence, negotiations and agreement to purchase the building in West Allis for an amount within our means and finally all of our people coming together to raise the final sum of money we needed to move forward with our big move - my pastor stood up and talked about how he had prayed for this building and for it to be redeemed for God's glory. He said he had often driven into the parking lot, sat there and prayed very specifically and intentionally for that building that it would be used for God's glory. He also said that he never prayed that we would get the building, only that it would be redeemed for God's purposes.

I thought that was awesome. And last week I encouraged my pastor and thanked him for his steadfast guidance through the past few weeks. His vision for our church has never waivered and his focus has remained the same. He reminded me that the building we meet in does not define us. And he is so right. Cross Point Church is not defined by a gym or a huge office, or a computer lab, or 126,000 square feet. My pastor - who just so happens to be my brother-in-law - has been an awesome encouragement to me and has helped me increase my faith. This move always was "God-sized" but it became "God-sized" of epic proportions when that second offer came in.

[side note: the credit union has accepted the other offer, but there is a period of due-diligence on their part so nothing is a "done-deal" yet and so we are still waiting on God's timing and not throwing in the towel for that building just yet]

So that brings me to today. I was out and about on my way to Sam's Club - which just so happens to be a hop, skip and a jump from the building we were so excited about moving into before the year's end. And I remembered what Dave had said about sitting in the parking lot and praying for the building. Not that it would one day be OUR building, but just simply praying for the building and for God's plans.

As I pulled out of the Sam's Club parking lot KLOVE was playing "My God" by Jeremy Camp - probably one of my favorite songs.

MY GOD, YOU ARE THE UNCHANGING LOVE
MY GOD, YOUR HEART SENDS HOPE FROM ABOVE
THE GREAT CREATOR, BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR
I'VE BEEN REDEEMED.
THERE IS LIFE NOW FROM YOUR VICTORY
YOU ARE MY GOD!

And then it dawned on me. God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Things may look different now, but God's plan never changed. So I drove up to 1300 S 109th Street. Parked my car in the parking lot in front of the building. To which my four-year-old asked "Mom, why are we at my new church?"
...Oh yea - I hadn't filled the four-year-old in on any of the new developments. So I tried explaining that it might not actually be our new church after all. He literally started crying. He said to me "but mom, I will be so sad if I can't have this church. I won't be able to have a gym!" And I was reminded of what Dave said about not being defined about the building and this came to mind:

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:16-18]

So I softly told Jack that God might not have this building in His plans, so we might have to find a new one. And I told him he could pray with me for this building. His prayer was sweet and simple:

"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for this day. Please let this be my new church because if it is not, I will not have a gym and I will be sad. In Jesus name, Amen."

So adorable.

Then I prayed out loud with Jacks hands folded and his head bowed. We prayed that God would use that building for His purposes, not for ours. That we would see that this building is temporary and that we need to fix our eyes on the unseen. That He would redeem it for His purposes. That our faith would not be shaken if the outcome is not what we expect. I had tears in my eyes when I was done.

God's plan is mighty. Mightier than we can understand. It's hard to wait on His timing, but we know based on the promises in the Bible that he has plans to prosper us and not to harm us - plans for hope and a future [Jeremiah 29:11]. And that is the promise I rest in.

One thing is certain - God is moving us. We are on the move to redeem people. Our prayer is that God also redeems this building. Whether we are part of that redemption or not is still unknown but I am fixing my eyes on the unseen and waiting for God's glorious plan to be revealed to us.

God is good. All the time.

-The Farmer's Wife